advertisement
A 12-year-old girl, who fled from her home in Jabalpur and started begging near Bhopal railway station, was found to be four-month pregnant after she was allegedly raped repeatedly by at least four men here, police said on 8 November.
The girl used to live with her parents in a shanty near Jabalpur railway station, police said, adding that she boarded a train and came to Bhopal some months ago. The reasons for her leaving home were not immediately known.
The girl was rescued from the station by NGO Railway Childline on 3 November, following which she was admitted to a local hospital.
Giving details of the case, Superintendent of Police, Bhopal Railway Division, Ruchi Vardhan Mishra, said, "A rape victim, aged around 12 years, was found pregnant and stranded at Bhopal railway station on November 3. We registered a case in this connection yesterday based on a complaint filed by the crisis centre 'Gauravi'."
"The girl was admitted to Sultania Lady Hospital and her condition is stable. We have registered a case against unidentified persons under IPC section 376 (rape) and relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act,” Mishra said.
She said that the accused were likely to be residents of the area surrounding Bhopal railway station.
"The victim told us that she used to stay with her parents in a shanty near Jabalpur railway station. A few months ago, she sat in a train alone and reached Bhopal. Since then, she has been begging at the railway station," Mishra added.
'Gauravi' crisis centre in-charge, Sarika Sinha, who is also the regional manager of ActionAid, said a member of Railway Childline brought the girl to them at around 6 pm on November 3, but took her back four hours later.
"The girl was scared. She felt uneasy and restless when she was brought to our centre. The girl's medical examination was already conducted when she was brought to us and it was found that she was four months' pregnant. So, we did not conduct any further medical examination," Sinha added.
According to her, the GRP filed the FIR against the accused on the complaint application given by 'Gauravi'.
Madhya Pradesh Minister for Woman and Child Development Archana Chitnis, who visited Sultania Lady Hospital last evening to meet the girl, ordered an inquiry into the allegations that 'Gauravi' and other agencies did not provide timely and proper help to the girl.
Talking about it, Sinha said:
After meeting the girl, the minister also announced that the state government would bear all expenses on the treatment of the girl, besides taking care of her education.
(Breathe In, Breathe Out: Are you finding it tough to breathe polluted air? Join hands with FIT to find #PollutionKaSolution. Send in your suggestions to fit@thequint.com or WhatsApp @ +919999008335)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)