The All India Democratic Women’s Association jointly with the Tamil Nadu Association for the Rights of All Types of Differently-Abled and Caregivers staged a demonstration alleging circumvention of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 (POCSCO) guidelines by the police in dealing with the complaint of gang rape of a 16-year-old physically challenged girl in Kodagarai village of Denkanikottai.
The protesters said the police had violated every guideline issued for protection of child victims of sexual offences under the Act, and also under the Criminal Law Amendment Act, 2013.
The members demanded action against the police personnel for alleged detention of the child victim in the police station in the intervening night of New Year for interrogation.
Interrogated
Speaking to the media, Suganthi, State General Secretary, AlDWA, said the actions of the police undermined every guidelines under POSCO. “The girl was interrogated by uniformed policemen and was detained in the station at night for interrogation. If a special act such as this could be circumvented, then why have an Act for protection of child victims,” Ms. Suganthi asked.
The police had registered FIR for wrongful restraint, and causing voluntary hurt under the IPC, but had not filed Section 376-D for gang rape.
Similarly, the police had registered the case under sections 5 (g) and 6 of the POCSO Act. “The non-invocation of the relevant sections of 5-h,i,k and 9-g,h,i and k and section 10 of POCSO Act, was a travesty in itself,” Ms. Suganthi said.
According to Namburajan, State Secretary, Tamil Nadu Association for the Rights of All Types of Differently-Abled and Caregivers, the doctors at Denkannikottai GH were equally complicit for omission.
“The Denkanikottai GH doctors did not conduct any medical examination and skipped the procedures, despite visible injuries on the girl. We plan to meet the Secretary of Health Services for action against the erring the doctors.”
The protests by the CPM-affiliated organisations were held in the backdrop of allegations of a social boycott by the villagers against the victim’s family for taking up the matter with the police instead of ‘resolving’ within the Khap Panchayat.
According to Murugesan, District Secretary, when a written complaint was made on Saturday to Anjetti police on the social boycott, the Sub-Inspector said the police were already planning to resolve the issue through talks. “This only showed the extent of police complicity and omission,” Mr. Murugesan said.
