Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh): A Sessions Court sentenced a security guard of an aashram to life imprisonment for raping and impregnating a deaf-mute woman in Gwalior, on Wednesday. The court ordered a 10-year jail term to his associates, including the couple operating the aashram, for burning her fetus and disposing it in a gutter to clear the evidence.
As per the Special Public Prosecutor Angraj Singh Kushwaha, the Women and Child Development received a complaint on September 20, 2018. The complaint was about a incident that took place at Snehalaya Ashram located on Jhansi Road of Gwalior, where a deaf-mute woman was raped and her pregnancy was terminated. The fetus was also destroyed to clear all the evidence.
The ashram | FP Photo
Guard found with victim in inappropriate condition
During investigation, the victim woman was found at a hospital in a semi-conscious state, which indicated that she has undergone an abortion
The other inmates in the ashram were also interrogated after which it was found that a guard called ‘Singh’ was found with the woman in an inappropriate condition. The information was reported to the ashram’s managers BK Sharma and his wife Bhavna Sharma, however, no action was taken against the guard.
Ashram inmates were being fed sleeping pills
After the woman got pregnant, the ashram operators not only forced her to have an abortion but also burnt her fetus and disposed of it in a gutter. This crime was carried out by the ashram’s supervisor Ravi Balmik under the operators’ instructions.
The woman’s statement was recorded through an interpreter. It was also revealed that women in the ashram were being given sleeping pills in their food.
Court delivers verdict against three
After the case was registered with the police and brought to court, the First Appellate Sessions Court in Dewabra delivered the verdict. The court sentenced the guard Singh to life imprisonment for raping and impregnating the deaf-mute woman.
The ashram operators BK Sharma and his wife Bhavna Sharma, were each sentenced to ten years in prison for attempting to hide the crime and destroying evidence.
