Gang-raped minor gives birth to baby, family unwelcoming
NEW HOME Welfare committee sends the victim’s newborn to child home in Bharatpur BHARATPUR:
A 16-year-old mentally-challenged minor girl, who was reportedly gang raped for months, gave birth to a baby boy at the women’s hospital in Bharatpur, but her parents refused to accept the newborn and handed him over to the child welfare committee on Saturday.
Police said the victim, who also cannot hear and speak, was gang raped for 4-5 month by two youths from her neighbourhood in Sewar area of Bharatpur.
Her father had registered a police complaint against the accused on September 11. In the complaint, he stated that his daughter complained of pain in her stomach four months ago. When she was taken to a doctor, the doctor told the parents that she was pregnant. Later, the victim identified the accused.
“The girl gave birth to a baby boy at the women’s hospital on November 9. We took the newborn to a shishu grah (child home) today,” said Saroj Lohiya, chairperson of the child welfare committee, which is taking care of the victim since the case came to light.
Lohiya said the victim’s parents refused to accept the child fearing social stigma. The victim’s father is a daily-wage labourer.
Station house officer of the Sewar police station, Khalil Ahmad said that on the basis of complaint filed by the victim’s father, the two youths were booked under section 376 of the IPC and the protection of children from sexual offences act (POCSO).
They were arrested on September 15. One of the accused, identified as Pappu Jatav, is currently lodged in the Sewar jail. The other accused is a juvenile.
The victim was taken to a hospital for medical examination by a medical board and presented in a court, where with the help of sign language experts, the victim recorded her statement under section 164 of the criminal procedure code (CrPC), Ahmad said.