Sexual assault

SNS, Gangtok, 9 July 2014: A 52-year-old woman was sexually assaulted by her 22-year old distant brother-in-law at Naya Busty in Geyzing in West Sikkim on Monday.

The accused, Goray Rai, a resident of Lower Pelling in West Sikkim, and a labourer by profession, has been charged with physically and sexually assaulting the woman. As per an FIR lodged by the victim, she was all alone in her house as her husband and daughter had gone to Goke in Bijanbari in neighbouring Darjeeling for some work. At around 10 pm, the accused entered the room of the victim by climbing on to a plastic roof and making a hole in it.

Rai, who is now absconding, then sexually assaulted her and threatened her when she tried to protest, the FIR says. The next morning, she approached the Panchayat officials who took her to the Gyalshing police station where she lodged a complaint against the accused.

It is learnt that the victim had been sexually assaulted by the accused twice earlier too, but she failed to report to the police as she was scared.