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Athlete’s mother may move to shelter home
Two more men were arrested in connection with the rape of the athlete, officials said on Tuesday, taking the number of the those arrested so far to 44
Following reports of threats to the family of Kerala Dalit athlete, who alleged that she was sexually abused by 62 people over a period of five years, the CWC has decided to also move her mother to the shelter home, Pathanamthitta CWC unit chief N Rajeev said on Tuesday.
“The mother of the survivor has been emotionally exhausted and is feeling vulnerable… it is important to bring the mother of the survivor into the shelter home and provide her psychological help,” Rajeev said.
“Moreover, the family has gotten some threats from the kin of the accused,” he added.
“According to our knowledge, the survivor’s mother was not aware of the years of abuse her daughter endured. It is our responsibility to keep her safe too,” Rajeev said.
A senior officer at the Elavumthitta police station said, “We have not received any complaints from the family about threats they received from others. No case has been filed yet. However, the survivor’s family might have concerns about facing the families of the accused who are also their neighbours. It’s a closely knit settlement.”
Senior Congress leader and Mavelikkara MP Kodikunnil Suresh also demanded police protection for the survivor. “There are more than 60 accused in the case, many of whom are influential. There may be attempts to harass and intimidate the survivor and her family. Police must take measures to prevent them,” said Suresh.
Meanwhile, two more men were arrested in connection with the rape of the athlete, officials said on Tuesday, taking the number of the those arrested so far to 44.
A total of nine accused are yet to be arrested, a statement from the Pathanamthitta police chief’s office said on Tuesday.
“Two persons aged 23 and 24 were arrested early Tuesday from their homes under the limits of Pathanamthitta and Elavumthitta police stations,” the statement said.
“There are nine more accused yet to be arrested as per FIRs filed at Elavumthitta PS, four persons in FIRs at Pathanamthitta PS and one person in the FIR at Malayalapuzha PS. One of the accused yet to be arrested is already in jail in connection with a separate Pocso case,” it said, adding that efforts are being made to bring the accused who are currently abroad back home.
The survivor, an athlete, told police in a statement that she was sexually abused by 62 people over a period of five years. The case came to light after she narrated the instances of abuse to a volunteer during an awareness programme. In her statement to the police, the victim said abuse began when she was 13 after her neighbour allegedly raped her.
Based on the testimony of the 18-year-old survivor and call records from her father’s phone, which she used to interact with the accused, the 25-member special investigation team (SIT) has identified 58 men so far, police said.
Most of the accused are people she studied with in school and college, the police said. The SIT had also stated on Monday that the survivor was gang-raped multiple times including at the Pathanamthitta general hospital and inside cars in public locations within the district.
The survivor is currently housed in a shelter home under the child welfare committee where she is being counselled, police said.
