Teen rape victim’s mother seeks justice

In a state of shock and disbelief, the mother of the teenage girl, who was kidnapped and allegedly gang-raped by five men — two of them from the same village — in an under-construction room adjacent to a temple at Mohari village in Haryana, is yet to come with terms of the incident as her faith in “humanity” has been shattered.

“What wrong did my daughter do to anybody that they [accused] did this to her... One of the accused is our neighbour... If you can’t trust a neighbour then whom can you trust... My faith on humanity has been shattered,” said the inconsolable mother, who wants speedy trial and strict punishment for the culprits.

Main culprits at large

While the Haryana police on Monday arrested three accused, who allegedly stood as guards during the assault — the two other key accused, identified as Mellu and Kala, who raped the 14-year-old girl on the intervening night of April 19 and April 20 —are still at large.

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The victim’s mother, in her complaint, has alleged that the accused had on April 19, after midnight, barraged into their house, while her daughter was sleeping with her siblings, gagged her and kidnapped her. They took her to a nearby under-construction room on the temple premises and allegedly gang-raped her. They smashed her head on the ground before fleeing the spot, she added, while narrating her daughter’s ordeal.

“That night my husband and I were not at home. We work as labourers and had gone to Ladwa in Kurukshetra, to lift grain from the market yard on April 19. When we returned the next evening, my daughter was in pain and started crying, later she narrated the entire incident,” she said.

“Traumatised after the incident, my daughter has been asking me and my husband to ensure that the culprits don’t go unpunished and are hanged. We don’t want any compensation but justice and that too quickly,” the victim’s mother told The Hindu .

Accused well-off

The victim’s uncle, who lives the next door, said while it is good that the police have arrested three accused, it was vital that the two key accused should not get away.

“Both are from relatively well-off families, but we are hopeful that police will investigate the matter in fair manner,” he said.

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Ashok Kumar, sarpanch (village head) of Mohri village in Yamunanagar, with a population of around 1800 split almost equally among Hindus and Muslims, says the incident has brought shame to the entire village.

“While the victim should be punished, the incident should not be given a communal colour. We all are living in harmony here. The entire village is standing behind the victim and the family,” he said.

Three arrested

Senior Superintendent of Police, Rakesh Kalia, who visited the crime scene on Monday assured that culprits would not spared and would be arrested soon.

“Three suspects have arrested while search operation for other accused is underway. A case had been registered under the POCSO Act and various Sections of the IPC including 365/452/506, against the accused,” he said.

Mr. Kalia said the incident didn't occur inside the temple as being claimed in some section of media, instead it was committed in a room near the temple, referred to as dharamshala .