Bareilly rape survivor refuses to part with baby
LUCKNOW: Maternal bond forced the minor rape survivor in Bareilly to change her mind on the custody of the baby she delivered on October 13.
The 14-year-old rape survivor, who had earlier stated she did not want to give birth to the baby, said on Wednesday she would not give her child to anyone at any cost.
“Now we don’t have any grudges, at least against the child. I really don’t know what has happened to my daughter overnight. She is now totally against the thought of giving away the child to anyone,” the girl’s father told HT.
After she lost the legal battle seeking permission to abort the foetus, the rape survivor had said she was not prepared for ‘unwanted’ motherhood. Their plea was declined after the court found there was no provision under which pregnancy of more than 20 weeks could be allowed to be terminated.
The girl’s father said though a few family members were still opposing the thought of keeping the baby but the girl was adamant.
“She burst out at few of the family members yesterday (Tuesday) who asked her to give away the baby to someone as they said it would become difficult to find a groom for her,” said her father.
He said the girl had stopped talking to family members saying that if thrown out of the house, she was ready to beg or work at some makeshift tea shop to feed herself and the baby.
“I don’t need help from anyone. I can earn to bring up my baby well. I won’t let any stranger take away my baby,” the girl told her family.
The girl’s decision came as a shocker to the family which was in no mood to accept the baby.
The family is also being approached by couples who are ready to pay in lakhs to adopt the baby. “We refused since the matter is sub judice. A gentleman from Bareilly offered us Rs 1 lakh while a woman was ready to pay even more,” her father said. He said the rape accused was also making up his mind to accept the baby and the girl but was insisting on DNA test. “We came to know the accused is asking for DNA test. He is ready to accept my daughter and the baby if the test report is positive,” he said.
However, the rape survivor’s lawyer, Virendra Pratap Dhyani, questioned the feasibility of DNA test.
“It is an attempt on the part of the accused to escape the accusations of the media and the society. DNA test is not feasible at this point. It can only be ordered by the court, once all the statements are recorded. This may take a year or two. We are planning to appeal for court’s intervention in deciding the future of the child and to fix responsibilities,” Dhyani said.
THOUGH THE ACCUSED IS IN JAIL, THE GIRL IS FORCED TO CONFRONT STIGMAS ASSOCIATED WITH RAPE AND OUT-OFWEDLOCK MOTHERHOOD
Compassion, it seems, has no place in the corridors of power dominated solely by electoral considerations. Nothing else perhaps can explain the plight of the 14-year-old rape survivor of Bareilly who gave birth last week after losing a legal battle to abort her unwanted child.
Her tale is poignant and powerful enough that ought to have melted hearts: A young unwed mother saddled with the onerous task of bringing up a child in a poor family that struggles to feed its members.
Livelihood, however, is just one of the many daunting challenges that the girl faces. Though the accused is in jail, she is forced to confront stigmas associated with rape and outof-wedlock motherhood in her village, Bairamnagar, about 40km from Bareilly town. Steeped in traditions and customs, neighbours look down upon the family, though they are simply victims and not perpetrators of a suspected heinous crime. But logic is in short supply in Uttar Pradesh preparing for assembly elections next year. The focus is firmly on votes and the cries of a single mother, pleading for justice and a bit of help, find no takers.
The judiciary took too long to decide and even insensitive officials kept her waiting. Time was of the essence to abort the foetus that grew in her womb, but the establishment took no notice. Politicians focused instead on a murder suspect who died in a jail. By no stretch of imagination, Ravin Sisodia could have evoked any sympathy from anyone under normal circumstances. Accused of being part of a mob that lynched Mohammad Ikhlaq, an elderly Muslim man of Bisada village last year on the suspicion of possessing beef, he was found dead in detention in Luksar jail. Beef is an emotive issue with great electoral significance and Sisodia was made into a martyr. His body was wrapped in the Tricolour and elected representatives rushed to his village to placate villagers divided on religious lines. In no time, his family had secured monetary pledges of `25 lakh: the state government gave `10 lakh, an NGO promised another `10 lakh, and two BJP politicians — Union minister Mahesh Sharma and state legislator Sangeet Som — assured another `5 lakh.
The unwed mother, on the contrary, was given just `25,000 on Tuesday after months of ordeal — maybe because empathy for her wouldn’t fetch votes. For that matter, no politician has bothered to visit her to date. And the only time an official called on her was when she went to the local health centre for her delivery and was refused help by a nurse for being a rape victim. The sub-divisional magistrate came to find out what had happened, but has not returned since. UP districts also have probationary officers to look after unwed mothers and rape survivors. But none so far has bothered to take care of the Bareilly girl.
The state boasts of a chief minister who is young, articulate and decent. But the establishment he runs has failed the girl at every step. Besides being shameful, the systemic failure is nothing but criminal.