Cops book rape victim haunted by accused

A year after being kidnapped and raped by powerful people from her village, a 12-year-old girl and her family are forced to leave their home. Rather than acting against her tormentors who attacked them at their new address too, the police has restrained the victim family under IPC Section 107 and 116 for disturbing peace, based on an alleged false complaint by the accused.

Tired after running from pillar to post to get justice and protection from the accused, including a former sarpanch and a police head constable who have been pressuring them to withdraw the case, the victim’s family shifted base to Kota from their village in Jhalawar district. With support from Centre for Dalit Rights (CDR), the girl then approached the Rajasthan high court for police protection, rehabilitation package and fresh inquiry by CBI or SIT. The court issued notices to the chief secretary, DGP, Jhalawar SP and others seeking an explanation as to why the case shouldn’t be handed over to the CBI while seeking reply within four weeks.

“We hoped that we would get justice finally, but as soon as the court intervened, our life turned more miserable. It irked the rapists and they started threatening us,” said the girl’s father, who is a farmer. He said that on June 5, a group of people led by the accused men barged into their house, ransacked it and then beat them up. The man, his wife and their three children including the rape survivor are living under constant fear. “We called up the local police station when we were attacked. The policeman told me that we should reach a compromise with the rapists. We have approached the SP, IG and other senior police officers, but to no avail,” said the father.

“The 12-year-old girl was kidnapped by a former sarpanch and a police head constable along with two others on June 30, 2015. Her father lodged an FIR on July 2. She was raped till July 13, the day she was produced before the investigating officer who recorded the victim’s statement in the absence of her parents and child welfare committee,” alleged P.L. Meemroth, chief executive of CDR. Advocate A.K. Jain who has been representing the girl said, “The investigating officer violated various Sections of the Posco Act. Her medical examination was not done. She should have been sent to a child centre, not women’s home.”

Her statement should have been recorded in the presence of her parents or child welfare committee, that too after she became normal.”

Blaming the state government of complete failure, Meemroth alleged that Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje who represents Jhalawar - her son is also MP from there - has not been giving time to meet. “The state monitoring committee for SC/ST (atrocities prevention) has not met in the last four years,” he alleged.