A 23-year-old woman, who was allegedly raped by Rajasthan Minister Mahesh Joshi’s son Rohit Joshi in Delhi and Rajasthan last year, was attacked with ink in Kalindi Kunj Road, Shaheen Bagh in southeast Delhi on Saturday.
The incident took place when the woman and her mother came to Delhi from Jaipur for some work. In a related development, a team of 15-20 Delhi police personnel, headed by an ACP rank officer, reached Joshi’s residence in Jaipur, but they found that the house was demolished. They later searched another house in the Civil Lines area, but Rohit was was not there.
The victim gave a statement, saying she was walking with her mother near Kalindi Kunj Road on Saturday when two people in an auto-rickshaw threw something at her and fled.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southeast) Esha Pandey said a PCR call was received on Saturday evening after some miscreants threw a liquid on a woman and ran away.
Preliminary inquiry revealed it was a blue liquid and looked like ink. An FIR has been registered in the matter.
“The blue liquid looks like ink. We have registered a case under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 323 (causing hurt), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 195 A (threatening person to give false evidence).” The woman was thoroughly examined at the AIIMS Trauma Centre, said Pandey.
The DCP added that police are looking for CCTV footage from the area to identify the culprits and ascertain the sequence of events.
BJP's Amit Malviya questioned the Congress party over the incident.
"The girl, who had filed a rape case against the son of Ashok Gehlot Government Minister Mahesh Joshi, was attacked in Delhi last night, a chemical was thrown on her face.
“There is pressure to withdraw the case. The Minister's son is absconding, and the girl is at the trauma center in AIIMS. Where are Rahul and Priyanka?" he tweeted.
Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat also called for impartial probe into the matter. “Whatever incident has happened, it is very unfortunate.
“The Government should work with a lot of sensitivity in such a high-profile case. Delhi Police should be completely impartial in this matter.
“The investigation should be done because there is a matter related to the reputation of a girl. The way she is being intimidated, then definitely there should be stern action against the culprits in this regard,” Shekhawat said.
Taking to Twitter on Sunday, Delhi Commission for Women chairperson Swati Maliwal said she would be issuing a notice to the Delhi Police to file an FIR for the attack on the woman and accused Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot of saving his minister's son.
"The girl who accused Rohit Joshi, son of Rajasthan Minister Mahesh Joshi of rape was thrown some substance by two unidentified people in Delhi.....@ashokgehlot51 sir, instead of saving your minister's son, arrest him.
“I am issuing notice to Delhi Police for FIR on this attack (sic)," she tweeted.
In a notice issued to the Delhi Police later, the DCW sought a copy of the FIR registered in the matter, details of the accused arrested, steps taken to ensure the safety and security of the victim, and an action-taken report.
The Delhi Police on Friday questioned Rohit Joshi in connection with the rape case registered against him. This was a day after a Delhi court granted him anticipatory bail in the case.
Following the woman's allegation that Rohit Joshi raped her on multiple occasions over a year, a case was registered against him under sections 376 (rape), 328 (causing hurt by means of poison, etc., with intent to commit an offence), 312 (causing miscarriage), 366 (kidnapping, abducting or inducing woman to compel her marriage, etc), 377 (unnatural offences) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code.
“When I called him, he said he is the son of a minister and nobody can harm him…
“He brags about his money and power and in the end, says people won’t even know where I have disappeared. The Bhanwari Devi case will be repeated,” the woman stated in the FIR.
