Army Havildar Arrested in Ludhiana After Colleague’s Wife Alleges Repeated Rape

Ludhiana police have arrested a 40-year-old Army Havildar posted at the CG Army Camp near Jagraon Bridge after a colleague’s wife accused him of repeatedly sexually assaulting her over a period of about four months and threatening her with consequences if she told anyone.

The accused has been identified as Havildar Singh, a resident of GK Estate on Jamalpur Road. He is posted with the 152 C Regiment and is in charge of residential quarters at the camp. The Tribune spelled his name as Havildar Singh. Police booked him under Section 64 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which deals with rape, and Division No. 5 police arrested him on the evening of 1 October.

He was produced before a court on 2 October and sent to one-day police custody. Assistant Sub-Inspector Paramjit Singh is the investigating officer in the case.

According to the complaint, the woman, 25, lives in an Army residential quarter in Ludhiana with her child while her husband, also a serving soldier, is posted elsewhere. The Tribune reported that the husband is currently posted in Jammu and Kashmir and that the couple has a four-year-old daughter. The complainant alleged that Singh had earlier helped her husband secure the quarter and later began assisting with household needs in her husband’s absence, after which he started visiting more often.

She told police that the first alleged assault took place in June, when Singh reportedly entered her quarter around 10.30 pm in an inebriated condition, raped her and threatened her with dire consequences if she disclosed the incident. She alleged that the abuse continued for about four months. On 28 September, when Singh’s family was away, he allegedly took her to his guest house inside the camp area and raped her again. Some local reports also said he threatened to get her divorced from her husband if she resisted. She said he later stopped answering her calls, after which she informed her husband.

The woman and her husband approached police on 30 September. An FIR was registered on 1 October and the accused was arrested the same evening. Police said the investigation is continuing.

The allegations are currently at the stage of police complaint and investigation. No statement from the Army or from the accused has been reported so far.