Delhi: Parents hid info, 10-year-old boy told medics he was raped by friends

At the hospital, the parents allegedly told the doctors that the boy met with an accident but the doctors suspected something was amiss

If it hadn’t been for the10-year-old boy himself informing the doctors at Lok Nayak Hospital that he was raped and assaulted, the information may have taken longer to reach investigators because his mother allegedly told doctors that he met with an accident, police said.

The three sodomised the boy and then told him not to inform his parents. But when he said he would, they assaulted him. (Representative photo)

On September 22, the Seelampur police station received a call from authorities at Lok Nayak Hospital informing them of a boy who was admitted there. They said he had allegedly been raped and assaulted brutally.

To police’s shock, the incident had taken place four days ago on September 18 but had not been reported.

Police later discovered that the 10-year-old boy, a resident of a slum in Seelampur, was playing with three friends in an empty dispensary on September 18 when they allegedly sodomised and assaulted him. “There’s an empty dispensary where they would always play. When we asked the suspects--two of whom have been apprehended while a third is still at large--about what went down at the dispensary, they were not very forthcoming with information, but it appears that they sodomised the boy and then told him not to inform his parents. But when he said he would, they assaulted him,” a police officer said, requesting anonymity.

He added the boys attacked him with sharp objects, including nails, glass and bricks lying around.

According to investigators, the boy reached home and informed his parents of the ordeal after which they took him to Jag Pravesh Chandra Hospital where doctors allegedly told them that he should be taken to a bigger hospital. “However, after some preliminary treatment, the parents took the boy back home. But when his condition worsened, they took him to Lok Nayak Hospital on September 22,” the investigator said.

At the hospital, the parents allegedly told the doctors that the boy met with an accident but the doctors suspected something was amiss. “The doctors asked the boy about what actually happened and he said ‘mere sath galat kaam hua hai (I have been raped)’,” an investigator said.

Doctors at the hospital then informed police.

However, when police reached the hospital and met with the family, they allegedly refused to share any details. “We had to arrange for a counsellor from an NGO to meet the family for the mother to finally share what happened with her son. A case was then registered on September 24,” the officer said, adding that one of the suspects, a neighbour aged 10, was apprehended the same day and another suspect, a cousin aged 11, was detained the next day on September 25.

According to investigators, the mother was hesitant to share details of the incident because one of the suspects was the boy’s cousin. “His infection and health worsened because the family treated him at home for three days despite him needing immediate medical attention,” the investigator said.

Meanwhile, police are still looking for the third suspect.

“The two suspects were produced before the Juvenile Justice Board and are currently out on interim bail,” a senior police officer privy to the matter said.

An investigator who interacted with the suspects said that one of the two boys attended a private school and another attended a government school. They are students of Class 6 and 7. The survivor is also a Class 6 student. Their parents are daily wage labourers.