A woman was made to run from pillar to post to file a case against her husband who sexually assaulted her two-year-old baby. On the intervention of Child Line team and opinion given by doctors at Theni Government Medical College Hospital, police registered a case and arrested the man, Suresh (48), an auto driver from Muthuthevanpatti, after two days.
Narrating her struggle to convince the police to take action against her husband, Malar, fourth wife of Suresh, alleged that her husband, in an inebriated mood, sexually assaulted her baby, which was sleeping in the cradle in her house, at midnight of Sunday. “On hearing the baby’s cry, I noticed his activities and shouted at him. In a fit of anger, he beat me severely. I ran away from the house taking the baby with me, and we slept in a cabin of a lorry parked near the house throughout the night,” she added.
First, she went to the office of the Superintendent of Police to file a complaint. But she was reportedly chased away. Later, she went to all women police station, where she did not get any response. Earlier, she had lodged several complaints against her husband at the all women police station. Without understanding the gravity of the crime, the women police sent her away this time.
At last, one person passed the information to Child Line on Monday. Even Child Line members could not convince the police. Information about the incident was passed to the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme officials too. At last, the team members, Muniswaran and Vijayalakshmi, appealed to the police to permit them to take the child to the GH for diagnosis.
“We took the child to Theni Government Medical College Hospital for treatment on Monday. After conducting various tests for several hours, the doctors admitted the baby to the hospital around 10 p.m.,” said Muniswaran.
Doctors stated that the baby was sexually assaulted and had injuries in her private and inner parts. She was crying with writhing pain, they added. The information was passed on to Inspector of Police Muthulakshmi. On Tuesday, the police registered a case and arrested Suresh.
Malar told the police that her husband was not only a drunkard but also a drug addict.
