Unnao survivor’s age under scrutiny

KANPUR: A medical report from June, 2017, a copy of which is with HT, puts the age of the Unnao rape survivor at 19. This report contradicts her contention that she was born in 2002, which would put her age below 16.

More clarity is expected after results of a fresh medical examination conducted at the behest of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Saturday are declared. If the CBI report corroborates the earlier report’s findings, the sections under which main accused BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar is being charged, may have to be changed.

According to the report, the survivor first underwent a medical examination on June 22, 2017, two days after the Unnao police recovered her from Auraiya district following her alleged kidnapping and rape.

The examination was conducted by Dr SK Johri, a radiologist at the Unnao district hospital. At the time, the police arrested three people — Naresh Tiwari, Shubham Singh and Brajesh Yadav — on charges of kidnapping and raping the girl. The cops did not invoke the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (Pocso). Speaking to HT, Dr Johri said constable Ruby Singh had brought the survivor to the hospital and the then chief medical officer had asked him to conduct the medical examination. “Her right knee, elbow and wrist were X-rayed; on examining the X-ray plates, I found all the joints had conjoined with each other well,” he said. “It meant the elongation of the bones was complete. After going through the X-rays, I mentioned in the report that the victim was 19 years-plus. I stand by my finding,” he said.

After the examination in June 2017, the survivor was produced before a magistrate to record her statement. She did not name Sengar in her statement.