The alleged rape and murder of a woman from the highly-protected Van Raji tribe caused outrage among the people in the Jauljibi area of Pithoragarh of the Kumaon district.

The police, however, denied receiving a complaint about the rape and murder of the 35-year-old woman.

It may be noted here that the Raji tribe is on the verge of extinction with barely 250 families left.

The deceased woman was found unconscious at the Jauljibi Hill area in Pithoragarh on November 23 not far from the fair market area. According to reports, she was found lying in a drain on the Tanakpur-Tawaghat highway with no clothes on her body with blood oozing from her mouth and vital parts.

The victim was taken by her relatives assuming that she would be revived but she died on the morning of November 25 following which the extremely poor and illiterate villagers cremated her.

Interestingly, the matter came to light only on December 7 when a local activist Kheema Jethi, who, on his return from her Delhi trip, called the locals to inquire as to how the tribal woman was found unconscious in a drain without clothes.

Kheema Jethi reportedly said when the deceased was on her way back home after selling wood, some unknown men bundled her into a vehicle by force. According to Jethi, the victim was gang-raped before throwing her into a drain. She said the Raji woman was a widow whose husband died barely a month ago.

She said the villagers did not inform them about the incident to the police in the absence of a guiding hand in the area.

Outraged by the incident, angry villagers took out a march in the Jauljibi market demanding action against the perpetrators of the crime. The Jethi people warned of intensifying agitation if the policem failed to arrest the accused men.

When contacted, the police claimed that they have not received any complaint of rape and murder from any villager, relatives of the deceased or even the activist who raised the issue.

When contacted, Pithoragarh SP Rekha Yadav said, “Although our probe is on we are still awaiting a formal complaint in the matter. In the ongoing investigation, police is yet to come across any evidence of rape and murder of the victim.”

He said the villagers cremated the body without the knowledge of the police and the administration complicating the matter. However, no stone will be left unturned to investigate the matter from everyangle. So far, the police investigation has not found any evidence to suggest that the victim was found unconscious without clothes in thedrain.