Delhi: Diary of girl killed by stalker details assault by a relative

Her mother found a diary where she allegedly detailed how a relative had sexually harassed her for six years when she was a minor.

Five months after a Delhi University student was allegedly killed by a stalker, her mother has found a diary among her belonging in which the 18-year-old allegedly detailed how a relative had sexually harassed her for six years when she was a minor. Police have registered in Jahangirpuri, where they are residents, based on the mother’s complaint.

On June 1, the first-year student of DU’s School of Open Learning was stabbed and strangled to death in Sanjay Van.

HT graphics.

On June 1, the first-year student of DU’s School of Open Learning was stabbed and strangled to death in Sanjay Van and her body was set ablaze by a fellow student, for allegedly refusing his advances. The accused, a resident of Rani Bagh, had been harassing her for months and was arrested next day.

Last month, the victim’s mother told police in a first information report (FIR) that around November 21-22, as she was cleaning her daughter’s room, she found a diary among her books with a letter in it.

The letter, the mother said, began as such: “I’m here again to write my story that I have kept in my heart that everyone should know about it.”

The 18-year-old alleged that a brother on her father side had sexually assaulted her for six years, beginning from when she was six-years-old. “Whenever we used to go out to play, he would take me to secluded places while playing hide and seek. When we used to play on the terrace, he used to force himself on me. He used to say that I’ll get married to him only or else he’ll kidnap me,” the mother, quoting the letter, said in the FIR.

This ‘brother’ had also threatened to kill her if she ever told anyone. “He used to often force himself upon me. This happened with me when I was six years old and continued till I turned 12. At the time, I didn’t know what was happening but because he was threatening me, I couldn’t say anything to anyone.”

Writing that she was “depressed” the 18-year-old said, “It’s very difficult to live with this. I can’t tolerate this anymore”.

In the FIR, the mother said that she had recognised her daughter’s handwriting and, based on her complaint, a case under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 376 (rape), 354A (molestation), and 506 (criminal intimidation), and 6 and 10 of the POCSO Act, was registered on November 25.

Deputy commissioner of police (northwest) Bhisham Singh said “Multiple teams have been formed to nab the suspect.”

On June 1, the victim had gone to college in the morning, but when she didn’t return on time, her family began looking for. They then received a call from the accused’s father alleging that the victim had attacked him in Sanjay Van and that he was injured.

This is the version the accused gave to the police, before admitting that he had killed and then set her body on fire to ensure she was not identified. The body was recovered based on information from the accused.

Earlier, the family had told police that the victim and accused had known each other for a year. The victim’s sister, 22, had further said, “Because my sister rejected him, he used to stalk her. He even went to her language institute once and created a scene. In May, he came to our house and blamed my mother saying that we are not letting her talk to him. He also threw my mother’s phone.”