The news about a cancer patient getting sexually assaulted by police officers has left the country shocked and horrified. Things have become worse because the victim is a male, and the Indian legal system, as of now, has no protection for him from the specific crime of rape.
What Happened?
The victim is a 30-year-old bank employee and a resident of Bangaon village in the district of Kurukshetra, Haryana. He is currently undergoing chemotherapy for bone cancer in his left leg.
On the night of June 17, 2026, he was returning home on his motorcycle after work. A police officer on duty at the Indri Road checkpoint stopped him. The reason, according to the complaint: he had covered his face with a cloth, almost certainly a practical measure for a man in the middle of cancer treatment, managing fatigue and temperature sensitivity on a night ride.
An argument broke out between the two when the officer demanded that he remove the face cloth. According to reports, soon after, a Dial-112 police vehicle arrived at the spot, which the complainant alleges was without a number plate. The youth claimed that two policemen stepped out, among whom one was allegedly drunk and proceeded to slap the man.
He further alleged that when he tried to film the altercation on his phone, they snatched the device as well. He was then forcibly taken to the Ladwa Police Station, according to his complaint to the Superintendent of Police.
Despite the victim pleading with the personnel and constantly informing them of his critical medical condition, he was made to wait half an hour at the station, then taken to a room inside and beaten up. The two ASIs and the home guard made him undress, mocked his illness, and passed lewd remarks on how “Iske patt to ladkiyon jaise hain (his thighs are like a girl’s),” because the chemotherapy had led to hair loss over his legs.
The victim further stated that even though he repeatedly told them of his illness and requested that they not hurt his leg, they mocked that they wouldn’t leave visible marks on him, before pressing on his cancer-affected leg with their shoes.
The victim then reveals that they subjected him to sexual abuse and sodomy afterwards. As per reports, the victim alleged that he also knew one of the policemen, an officer from Karnal, from previous incidents when the officer had tried to extract money from him, but the victim had refused to pay.
The next morning, while bathing, the youth noticed he was bleeding. Out of shame and fear, he initially told no one, he wrote in his complaint. When his condition deteriorated, he told his family, who took him to the Community Health Centre in Ladwa. He was referred to Kurukshetra Civil Hospital and is currently being treated at Lok Nayak Jai Parkash (LNJP) Hospital.
LNJP Hospital Principal Medical Officer Dr. Sarah Aggarwal said the complainant, who has a fractured arm, is admitted to the hospital. She confirmed that he is receiving specialised treatment for persistent internal bleeding and trauma.
The three accused are identified as ASI Sanjeev Kumar, ASI Rajender Kumar, and Home Guard Sumit.
Video clips of the victim speaking with the media and revealing what he suffered through have also been going viral. Netizens have shown outrage at the blatant misuse of power, sexual abuse and the lack of laws protecting males against this crime in the country.
As per the video, he said, “They took off my underwear, sir. They removed my lower garment. I swear to God, my bleeding hasn’t stopped. Look—I can show you. Can you arrange for a medical examination of my backside?”
He further said, “They took me to Room No. 4. Inside, Sanjeev and Rajendra were there with me. Rajendra was saying, ‘Our government is in power. Nothing will happen. No one can do anything about it.’ He was also saying, ‘People will think they were fake policemen.’ Then they said to me, ‘You’re crying like a girl,’ and they mocked me. They made obscene and degrading remarks to me. Home Guard Sumit was also there, sir. There were three of them, and the room was locked.”
He revealed how, “About an hour later, they grabbed me from behind. They hit me in the face. They assaulted me from behind and from the front. Sir, my bleeding hasn’t stopped. Even this morning, I deliberately didn’t tell my family. I came here just for a minute to get myself examined. Even here, my bleeding hasn’t stopped, sir. It’s still happening. My bleeding hasn’t stopped. They did this to me twice, sir. Rajendra and Sanjeev did it, sir. They also abused my sister using foul language.”
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He added, “People who didn’t spare a man, how will they spare their mother or sister?”
Read More: Watch: Transwomen Allegedly Raped And Harassed By Policemen In Delhi’s CP Repeatedly
What Does The Indian Legal System Say?
An FIR has been registered against ASI Sanjeev Kumar, ASI Rajender Kumar and Home Guard Sumit on charges of assault and misconduct, Superintendent of Police Chander Mohan said, adding that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted to probe the allegations, including that of sodomy.
The Haryana Police have registered a case not of sexual assault but of causing simple “hurt” under Section 114 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for this case, though.
Nirmal Singh, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Ladwa, speaking to The Print, explained why sexual assault charges were absent from the FIR when the complainant had specifically alleged sodomy. Singh said that they were still investigating the allegation, but “Even if the allegation is found correct, there is no penal provision available under the new laws.”
The reason for this lies in a decision Parliament made in 2024. When the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) replaced the Indian Penal Code (IPC) with effect from July 1, 2024, it did not carry forward Section 377 of the IPC, and it created nothing to take its place.
Section 377 of the IPC stated: “Whoever voluntarily has carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal, shall be punished with imprisonment for life, or with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to 10 years, and shall also be liable to fine.”
Now, the section was changed when the Supreme Court’s landmark 2018 ruling in Navtej Singh Johar vs Union of India decriminalised consensual same-sex relations between adults. But the part about non-consensual acts of Section 377 was still retained in its application. The crucial distinction was: you cannot go to prison for consensual intimacy, but you absolutely can for forcing yourself on another person, regardless of their gender.
However, when the BNS came into force on July 1, 2024, Section 377 was dropped altogether. Now, under the BNS, rape is defined solely in relation to a female victim. No gender-neutral sexual assault provision was introduced in the new code.
An adult Indian male who is sexually assaulted today is left to seek remedy under provisions covering hurt, grievous hurt, wrongful confinement or intimidation. None of these carries the specific culpability or sentencing weight of a sexual offence.
Voluntarily causing hurt under the BNS is a bailable and non-cognisable offence. The accused cannot be arrested without a warrant. Bail is a matter of right. The maximum sentence on conviction is one year’s imprisonment and a fine of up to Rs 10,000. However, sexual assault against a woman would lead to rape charges, mandatory minimum sentences, and the full weight of a specific sexual assault framework.
As of right now, there is absolutely no legal framework that is protecting Indian males from sexual assault of any kind.
Image Credits: Google Images
Sources: The Print, Deccan Herald, Times of India
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This post is tagged under: Cancer Patient, Haryana Cancer Patient, haryana police, haryana police station, sexual abuse, sodomy, male rape india, male rape india crime, india crime, indian penal code, indian laws
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