IANS

Gandhinagar, Jun 24:  The Gujarat government has sought a report from the Mehsana district police on the alleged gang-rape of a lecturer and has taken steps to suspend the three accused, who are government primary teachers. Two of the three accused have been arrested.

An official spokesman said Wednesday that the state government has taken serious note of the incident involving a lecturer of the Kadi primary teachers training college and will take exemplary steps against the accused in the matter.

One of the accused, Ketan Thakar, was arrested by police. Another accused, Dinesh Patel, surrendered Tuesday night.

The two were produced before the court Wednesday and sent to six days’ police remand.

A third accused, Mukesh Patel, who was instrumental in harassing the victim and forced her to submit to sexual favours sought by him and his two friends, is still absconding.

The gang-rape came to light after the victim attempted to commit suicide Monday by consuming mosquito repellant and was admitted to the Kalol civil hospital in an unconscious state.

She regained consciousness Wednesday, enabling police to record her statement. Police said she repeated the same statement that she wrote in her suicide note naming the three accused for her gang-rape.

Besides police, members of the state women commission, also met the 25-year-old victim at the hospital.

In her suicide note, the victim said that she was helped by Mukesh Patel, one of her distant relatives, to secure the job and he had been seeking sexual favours in return over the last eight months.

He also frequently forced her to submit to the sexual demands of his two friends, she alleged.