A 14-year-old, Class 9 student from a village under the Bisauli police station in Badaun district was allegedly raped multiple times, became pregnant, and was then forcibly aborted. This occurred after a village panchayat “resolved” the crime by shielding the accused and threatening the survivor’s family.
The prime accused, Somvir Singh alias Bhola, a neighbour of the minor girl, allegedly called the teen to his house, raped her and recorded the act on video. He then continued to sexually assault her for several months by threatening to make the video viral. The survivor, living in constant fear, remained silent until she became five months pregnant.
On 19 September, an ultrasound conducted in Bisauli confirmed that the girl was five months and six days pregnant. When she finally revealed the entire ordeal to her parents, the family approached Bisauli police station with a written complaint, but no FIR was registered. An online complaint filed on 7 November also went unheeded.
In the meantime, the accused summoned local community members and convened a panchayat at the house of a former village pradhan.
The panchayat then allegedly threatened the survivor’s family that they would be thrown out of the village if they pursued legal action. The panchayat also asked the accused’s family to deposit ₹3.40 lakh as “compensation”. It was decided that the panchayat itself would arrange the minor’s abortion and later get her married “in a good place”.
{{/usCountry}}The panchayat then allegedly threatened the survivor’s family that they would be thrown out of the village if they pursued legal action. The panchayat also asked the accused’s family to deposit ₹3.40 lakh as “compensation”. It was decided that the panchayat itself would arrange the minor’s abortion and later get her married “in a good place”.
{{/usCountry}}Eight days after the meeting, the abortion was conducted at a private centre. Following these, the panchayat members allegedly fixed the 14-year-old’s marriage with a 40-year-old man from Badhaul village in Wazirganj area, claiming ₹1.70 lakh had already been spent on wedding arrangements.
When the girl’s father refused to marry off his underage daughter, he was again threatened with expulsion from the village.
Left with no option, the family approached senior superintendent of police (SSP) Badaun Brijesh Kumar Singh with a detailed complaint.
Following this, an FIR was registered on Tuesday against the accused Somvir, his father Rajpal, mother Shanti Devi, elder brother Naresh and an unknown female doctor.
DSP Badaun, Sunil Kumar, confirmed that the case has been registered under relevant sections of BNS including section 65(1) (rape on a woman under sixteen years of age), 89 (causing miscarriage without woman’s consent), 351(3) (criminal intimidation), and section 6 and 5j(2) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
“The child will be taken to record her statement in court. The absconding accused will be arrested very soon,” the DSP added.