Signal·Dehradun·Updated 10h ago

Assam CM Backs Woman Seeking Fresh CBI Probe Against Former Uttarakhand Minister Over 2002 Rape Allegation

An Assam woman has sought a fresh CBI investigation and DNA test over a 2002 rape allegation against a former Uttarakhand Congress cabinet minister, with Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma publicly backing her.

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Current Summary

A woman identified as Indira Dewri, also known as Jenny, a resident of Sadiya in Assam's Tinsukia district, has approached Uttarakhand authorities seeking a fresh CBI investigation and a new DNA test to establish the paternity of her 23-year-old son, alleging she was raped around 2002-2003 by Harak Singh Rawat, then a Congress cabinet minister in Uttarakhand. She has said she was around 16 and living at Nari Niketan in Dehradun, giving birth at the women's hospital at Doon Hospital on June 9, 2003. At the time, Rawat denied the allegation, resigned from the Cabinet, and himself sought a CBI probe; the agency investigated and conducted DNA tests, which, according to records cited in reporting, did not match the child's DNA to Rawat. A group of ex-servicemen, led by retired Captain Tajbar Singh Negi, has publicly identified Rawat as the accused and defended him, calling the renewed case a BJP-driven political conspiracy ahead of the 2027 polls. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma met the woman on November 10 and publicly backed her the next day, calling her alleged treatment by Rawat 'extremely wrong and reprehensible' and saying he stands with her 'in this fight for justice.' The woman has said she has already submitted a complaint to the Uttarakhand DGP and will lodge a zero FIR in Guwahati, citing the difficulty of repeated travel to Uttarakhand for legal proceedings. No fresh CBI probe or DNA test has yet been confirmed as ordered.

What We Know

The woman alleges she was raped in Dehradun in October 2002, at age 16, by a man then serving as a Congress cabinet minister in Uttarakhand.
She says she stayed at the accused's residence in Yamuna Colony, Dehradun, for about two months.
The accused is reported to have later joined the BJP in 2016 before returning to Congress.
The woman is seeking a fresh CBI investigation and a DNA test to establish the paternity of her 23-year-old son.
She held a press conference in Dehradun last week to make her allegations public.
Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma has publicly expressed support for her and called for justice.
An ex-servicemen's group has publicly named Harak Singh Rawat, former Cabinet minister and Congress election management committee chairman, as the accused.
The group has defended Rawat, calling the allegations a BJP political conspiracy, and referenced a past CBI/DNA investigation related to him.
The group alleged the BJP is using the case to divert attention from the Ankita Bhandari case, including the reported appointment of its alleged 'VIP' accused as Governor of Sikkim.
The woman has been identified as Indira Dewdi, also known as Jenny.
The case dates to 2003: she was around 16 and living at Nari Niketan, giving birth at Doon Hospital on June 9, 2003.
Rawat denied the allegation at the time, resigned his Cabinet post, and himself requested a CBI investigation.
Records cited in reporting say the CBI's earlier DNA test did not match the child's DNA to Rawat.
Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma met the woman on November 10 and publicly backed her claim the following day.
Harak Singh Rawat has personally called the renewed case a BJP political tool meant to divert attention from the Ankita Bhandari case.
The woman said she has submitted a complaint to the Uttarakhand DGP.
She plans to lodge a zero FIR in Guwahati, citing the difficulty of travelling to Uttarakhand for legal proceedings.

What Is Still Unclear

The identity of the accused has not been confirmed in available reporting.
Whether Uttarakhand authorities or the CBI have agreed to open a fresh investigation or conduct a DNA test.
The current legal status of the original 2003 case, if any was filed at the time.

What Changed

11 Nov, 10:10 pm
The woman has said she has already submitted a complaint to the Uttarakhand DGP and will lodge a zero FIR in Guwahati, saying repeated travel to Uttarakhand for legal proceedings is not feasible for her. A zero FIR can be registered at any police station regardless of jurisdiction. No fresh CBI probe or DNA test has yet been ordered.
11 Nov, 06:41 pm
Harak Singh Rawat himself responded on Wednesday, saying the BJP is using the woman's renewed allegation 'as a political weapon' against him to divert attention from the Ankita Bhandari case and the 'VIP' allegedly involved in it. He said Congress would continue fighting for justice for Ankita Bhandari. Rawat reiterated that a CBI probe in 2003, when the BJP was in power in Uttarakhand, found the woman had made false statements to investigators on several occasions, and that a DNA test conducted at the time did not establish his paternity.
11 Nov, 06:41 pm
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Wednesday that he met the woman, identified as Indira Dewri (also known as Jenny) of Sadiya in Assam's Tinsukia district, on November 10. In a social media post, Sarma said: "What a man named Harak Singh Rawat from Uttarakhand did to her is extremely wrong and reprehensible. No one should have to suffer the kind of cruelty she endured. I stand firmly with her in this fight for justice." No fresh CBI probe or DNA test has been confirmed as ordered by Uttarakhand authorities.
11 Nov, 05:40 pm
The woman has now been identified as Indira Dewdi, also known as Jenny. The underlying case dates to 2003: she was around 16 and living at Nari Niketan in Dehradun, and gave birth at the women's hospital at Doon Hospital on June 9, 2003, alleging Harak Singh Rawat, then a Congress cabinet minister, was the child's father. Rawat denied the allegation, resigned his ministerial post, and himself sought a CBI investigation. Records cited in reporting on that original case state CBI's DNA test did not match the child's DNA to Rawat. No order for a fresh CBI probe or DNA test has yet been confirmed.
11 Nov, 03:42 pm
A group of ex-servicemen has publicly defended former Cabinet minister and Uttarakhand Congress election management committee chairman Harak Singh Rawat, identifying him as the accused in the case being pursued by Jenny and calling the allegations a politically motivated BJP conspiracy. At a Wednesday press conference in Dehradun, retired Captain Tajbar Singh Negi said CBI and DNA investigations related to Rawat had already been conducted in the past and questioned why similar tests were not being sought for three other individuals he named. The group also alleged the BJP was using the case to divert attention from unresolved issues including the Ankita Bhandari murder case, pointing to the reported appointment of the alleged 'VIP' accused in that case as Governor of Sikkim, and warned of a public movement if what they called a vilification campaign against Rawat continues.
11 Nov, 01:31 pm
Signal detected: Assam CM Backs Woman Seeking Fresh CBI Probe Against Former Uttarakhand Minister Over 2002 Rape Allegation

Background

The allegation dates to 2002, reportedly during the tenure of a Congress-led government in Uttarakhand, and has resurfaced more than two decades later as the woman seeks accountability and paternity confirmation for her adult son.