After a scan report indicated that a 15-year-old girl hailing from a Dalit family was pregnant, her parents lodged a complaint with the All Woman Police in Nagamalai Pudukottai to arrest the assailant, a caste Hindu and resident of Vadapalanji, without any further delay.
The girl, not knowing that she was carrying a 30-week-old foetus, was in a state of shock. Surrounded by her parents and elders, the family members spoke to The Hindu at the office of Evidence, a non-governmental organisation fighting for the rights of Dalits, here on Thursday.
The girl’s father, Shanmugam, said in a choked voice: “Like any other child, my daughter should have been going to school, but she is carrying a baby now. Her future is now a big question mark. We have no clue about how to solve this problem,” he said.
Other family members also expressed their anguish. Narrating the incident, one of them said, “Our girl, who was going to the school regularly, was lured by the youth. Not knowing that she was trapped, she went to the youth’s house on an invitation from the boy’s younger sister.
After she was forcibly abused, the youth kept on threatening the girl and sexually assaulting her. When she confided the matter to her mother, she was immediately taken to a scan centre where we were shocked to learn that she was five months pregnant.”
According to A. Kathir, executive director of Evidence, the police should, without any dilly-dallying, arrest the youth who is charged with raping a minor. He could not be allowed to go scot-free as he had committed a heinous crime.
The girl should be given counselling, Mr. Kathir said.
A police officer said they had registered cases under the POCSO Act, 2012, and assured to expedite the case by arresting the accused and take further action.
