India: Woman lies about rape, cabbie endures over 4 months of jail

Story here. Excerpt:

'He languished in jail for over four months for a sexual assault which the court says he never committed. His children were mocked and ostracised in school and his family was reduced to penury. His brother, who was looking after the family, went into depression.

For 35-year-old Ramesh Kumar, life took a sudden turn on April 9 this year when he says he demanded his agreed fare of Rs 500 from a woman who had hired his cab late at night in Dwarka. As an argument ensued, the woman tried to bite her way out and flee. When he tried to stop her, cops reached the spot, alerted by a PCR call made by a passerby about a brawl.

Kumar's pleas about his innocence went unheard. He was arrested and within no time had been named as the second rapist cabbie on the prowl after the Uber incident. It was a nightmare for him. He found himself in jail number 4 of Tihar the next day. He had a new identity: Inmate number 3519.

"I did not get any sleep at night. I recalled each and every scene from that night but couldn't figure out why I was here. Should I have allowed her to go without paying my fare just because she was a woman? I told cops to get her medically examined but they said they were bound by law and that I will have to prove my innocence in court," Kumar told TOI on Wednesday.'