15-yr-old rape survivor arrested for killing her baby, said she felt humiliated

The teenager in Madhya Pradesh’s Damoh, who was raped in February this year, gave birth to the baby in October. She was discharged from hospital on November 5 and allegedly killed the infant five days later

Published on: Nov 25, 2021, 18:28:29 IST

By Shruti Tomar

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BHOPAL: A 15-year-old rape survivor in Madhya Pradesh’s Damoh district was arrested on Thursday on charges of strangling her 40-days-old baby, a district police officer said on Thursday.

The 15-year-old rape survivor in Madhya Pradesh’s Damoh district turned up at the community centre with the baby on November 10, and told health workers that the baby was unwell. But the baby was already dead. An autopsy report confirmed that the infant was strangled. (REUTERS File Photo)

The girl was upset over the birth of the baby after the rape and was feeling humiliated, said Ashok Chaurasiya, sub-divisional officer of police, Tendukheda, Damoh.

“The girl was in a close relationship with a 17-year-old boy of the village. The boy raped her in February and left the girl pregnant. The girl’s family came to know about it in August when the girl complained of stomach pain. Doctors at the district hospital informed the family about the pregnancy. Later, the girl shared her ordeal with family,” said Chaurasiya.

The family filed a complaint and the accused was caught under Protection of Children from Sexual Offence (POCSO). He has been lodged in a juvenile home.

The girl gave birth to the baby on October 16 in a district hospital, where she was admitted due to medical complications. She returned home on November 5.

Five days later, she was back at the local community health centre at Tendukheda with the baby. She told health workers that the baby was ill. When the doctor checked the baby, there was no sign of life. The baby was declared brought dead, said the police officer.

The doctors recommended an autopsy to confirm if the baby died due to natural causes as claimed by the young mother.

The postmortem report concluded that the baby died of strangulation.

Police alleged that the rape survivor confessed during the preliminary questioning. A murder case was registered on the basis of the autopsy report. The girl was taken into custody and produced before the Juvenile Justice Court, which sent her to a correctional home, police said.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shruti Tomar
I have spent over a decade chronicling Madhya Pradesh’s political and social landscape, covering politics, investigative journalism, crime, human interest, and government policy, blending sharp insight with ground‑level depth. I have closely tracked three assembly elections, three Lok Sabha elections, leadership transitions in MP while exposing governance lapses, tender irregularities, and flawed policy rollouts. My reports have revealed gaps in the Cheetah project, irregularities in medical education, rigging in recruitment exams, and loopholes in policy implementation. In crime reporting, I have moved beyond FIRs to map systemic patterns — from organised crime networks and gender‑based violence to custodial accountability — balancing urgency with sensitivity. My journalism is defined by a commitment to human interest. I have profiled the marginalised Bancchda community, documented atrocities against tribal groups, and highlighted efforts to preserve their culture through heritage liquor and revival of spiritual practices. I have reported on farmers struggling with failed MSP promises, giving voice to those often reduced to statistics in policy files. Passionate about field reporting, I have reported on rampant sand mining in Chambal and Narmada, pharmaceutical companies supplying medicines under altered names, the dire condition of schools and colleges, the plight of commercial sex workers, and skewed sex ratios in specific districts. Beyond deadlines, and as HT’s state correspondent and assistant editor in Madhya Pradesh, I engage with ministers, farmers, students, and activists, believing the best policy stories begin with a single human voice. A postgraduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, I also hold a diploma in sports journalism.Read More

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