Don’t give bail to son’s molester, pleads father of 12-year-old survivor

MUMBAI:THE father of a 12-yearold boy who was molested by a 45-year-old woman last week has decided to file an intervention application to oppose the bail plea to be filed by the accused in a special Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) court on Monday.

The petitioner said his son has been traumatised by the incident and he wants to ensure that the woman stays behind bars.

On January 5, the boy had gone to his mother’s residence in Bandra (West).

According to police, the boy’s parents are separated and the boy used to frequently visit his mother and twin siblings.

However, his mother was not home at the time and the 45-year-old neighbour asked him to wait at her residence. She then molested him and let him go an hour later.

After going back to his father’s residence in Khar, he told his father what had happened.

The father then approached the Bandra police the same night and a complaint was registered under sections of the POCSO Act. The woman was arrested on January 6.

Senior advocate Dr Sujay Kantawala, representing the petitioner, said the accused was remanded in judicial custody on Thursday.

However, the petitioner learnt that the woman would be moving a bail application on Monday.

“Alarmed by the ease with which she would be able to come out of jail, the boy’s father

approached me and sought advice on the next course of action,” said Kantawala.

“After the incident with my son came to light, many others who had similar experiences with the accused shared their stories on social media. My son is still recovering from the incident. I met Kantawala and based on his suggestion, I have decided to oppose her bail application to ensure that she pays for her wrongdoing,” said the father.