In a bid to demonstrate that nobody is above the law, the police paraded a bootlegger accused of rape through Khergam village in Navsari district on Wednesday. Asim Shaikh (35), a resident of Khergam village, was arrested by the police on Monday following a rape complaint filed by a 22-year-old woman at the Khergam police station on June 24. The accused has been remanded to police custody until July 13 by a local court.

To send a strong message to the public by escorting the rape accused for a two-kilometre parade, the police aimed at instilling a sense of accountability and reiterating that those involved in criminal activities will face strict consequences. District Local Crime Branch police inspector D S Korat stated that Asim Shaikh had generated fear throughout the village, with numerous charges of quarrelling, bootlegging, and other offenses registered against him.

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Local residents were supportive of the police action, cheering as they witnessed the parade. They expressed their relief and appreciation for the police’s efforts to address the longstanding fear and terror inflicted upon the community by Asim Shaikh and his family. 

Shoeb Shaikh, a resident of Khergam village, commended the Navsari police, and told the Indian Express, “Asim Shaikh and his entire family members are infamous for terrorising the villagers. Everybody was scared of him, as a result of which, nobody used to complain against him. We appreciate the action taken by the Navsari police.”

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According to the woman’s complaint to the police, the accused repeatedly pursued her despite her consistent refusal to establish a friendship. Matters escalated when Asim threatened her with suicide if she rejected his marriage proposal during an encounter at her college in Vadodara in 2021. 

Subsequently, he took her to a friend’s house in Vadodara where he raped her. He continued to engage in a physical relationship with her, deceiving her with false promises of marriage, the complaint states.

Eventually, the survivor discovered that Asim was already married and decided to end the relationship. After confiding in her parents, she returned to her hometown of Khergam in 2022. However, the harassment persisted as Asim shared intimate videos with the woman with a family member of her intended fiancé. 

According to the Indian Express, the accused said to the victim that their marriage could potentially ignite communal riots, and so, they can’t get married, the FIR stated.

To defuse the situation, Asim proposed that she marry his friend, Ronak Patel, and subsequently divorce him,“so that they could get married” . The woman complied, marrying Patel at a Navsari temple before returning to her village. In response to her wishes, she was handed over to her parents.

However, the relentless pressure from Asim continued, leading the survivor to file a rape complaint with the police. Following her statement, the police registered an FIR against Asim Shaikh under IPC Act Sections 376 (2) (n)(rape committed repeatedly on same woman), 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 504 (intentional insult to provoke breach of trust) and 506(2) (punishment for criminal intimidation).