TNR News Network
Solan:
The Solan district court has sent Ram Kumar Bindal, an ayurvedic practitioner and brother of BJP Himachal Pradesh president Dr Rajeev Bindal, to 14-day judicial custody in connection with a r*ape case. The accused was produced before the court earlier in the day, following his discharge from the regional hospital on Tuesday.
Ram Kumar Bindal was arrested last Friday on charges of raping a 25-year-old woman. However, shortly after his arrest, his health reportedly deteriorated and he was admitted to the Solan Regional Hospital for treatment. With his condition now stable, the police presented him before the court, which remanded him to judicial custody for two weeks.
Solan Superintendent of Police Gaurav Singh confirmed the development, stating that the accused had been remanded as per legal procedure.
The survivor, in her police complaint, stated that she had visited Bindal’s clinic near the Old Bus Stand in Solan for treatment of a persistent illness. After trying several other treatments without success, she sought his help as a last resort.
The Superintendent of Police said, “The survivor claimed that during the consultation, Bindal, under the guise of examination, held her hand to check her pulse and began asking about sexual health issues. After she confided in him about her medical condition, he allegedly assured her of a cure. It was during this ‘examination’ that the accused reportedly sexually assaulted her.”
The police have since recorded the survivor’s statement before a judicial magistrate and collected forensic evidence from the scene with the help of a team from the State Forensic Science Laboratory in Junga.
When questioned informally by reporters, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had said that the law would take its own course in the case.
Echoing the need for a thorough and impartial probe, Himachal Pradesh Women’s Commission Chairperson Vidyawati Negi took suo motu cognisance of the case. She directed the Solan SP to submit a detailed report and has instructed him to ensure that justice was delivered to the survivor. The case continues to be under investigation,.
