‘Wish I had taken her to Ramlila’

HORROR Victim’s father says she ran out on hearing her favourite song and within minutes was nowhere to be found

NEW DELHI: The father of a minor who was raped in Nihal Vihar on Friday night regrets not having taken her to see the Ramlila organised in their area himself.

“She kept insisting I take her for the Ramlila but I did not. I knew drunk people come there at night. But she being so naughty ran from the house the moment she heard her favourite song playing at the venue. I wish I had taken her there myself,” said the father of the two-anda-half-year-old.

The girl was raped and dumped by two men just metres away from her house in west Delhi’s Nihal Vihar area.

Speaking to Hindustan Times, the girl’s father said that it all happened within a few minutes of her leaving home. The moment the girl ran towards the venue, her father and grandmother ran behind her. Just then, power supply went off and it became dark and she went out of sight. After that, she was untraceable for over three hours. Around 2.30am, she was found in an unconscious state, bleeding profusely under a tree in a park in the area. The police officials sitting right outside the venue did not see anyone taking the girl away.

“The generator at the Ramlila ground stopped after it ran out of fuel and it became very dark. We called out her name aloud but could not locate her. The power came back after 10 minutes. We got her name announced several times but could not find her,” he said.

For over three hours, the locals formed teams and went in different directions to look for the girl.

“My wife told me that I should check in the park. It is a little VICTIM’S FATHER far away from here so it did not cross my mind. I immediately left for the park with my elder brother and a few others. When I reached there and looked around I found her lying under a tree. She was unconscious and was bleeding. There were scratches on her face and body. It appeared someone had inflicted injuries on her body using a blade. I was about to faint but my brother held me and we rushed her to the hospital,” he said.

The father said he was at a loss on how someone abducted his daughter in just a few minutes. “The moment she went missing, I did not waste even a minute. I alerted the locals and the police and started the search. Even then I could not save her,” he said. “I had told my wife to take the child inside and put her to sleep. Only if that song had not started playing,” he added.

The moment she (the five-year-old rape victim) went missing, I did not waste even a minute. I alerted the locals and the police and started the search. Even then I could not save her.

She was unconscious and bleeding. There were scratches on her body. It also appeared that someone inflicted injuries on her body using a blade. I was about to faint but my brother held me.