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Madhya Pradesh: 15-year-old survivor held for killing baby born out of rape
The doctors at the community health centre handed over the body to the girl’s family after conducting postmortem on November 11.
Bhopal: A 15-year-old rape survivor was arrested on Thursday for allegedly killing her 40-day-old baby in Madhya Pradesh’s Damoh district, police said, adding that she was feeling humiliated and upset over the child’s birth.
Ashok Chaurasiya, sub-divisional police officer, Tendukheda, Damoh, said, “The girl was in a relationship with a 17-year-old boy from her village. The boy raped her in February. The girl’s family came to know about it in August when the girl complained of stomach pain. The doctors at the district hospital informed the family about the pregnancy. Later, the girl shared her ordeal with family.”
The family filed a police complaint in August after which the accused was apprehended and booked under the protection of children from sexual offences (POCSO) act. The minor accused has been lodged in a juvenile home since August 20, police said.
“The girl gave birth to the baby on October 16 in a district hospital, where she was admitted due to medical complications. On November 5, she returned home. On November 10, she reached community health centre in Tendukheda with the baby. She informed the doctors that the baby was ill. The doctor declared the baby brought dead,” said Chaurasiya.
The doctors at the community health centre handed over the body to the girl’s family after conducting postmortem on November 11. After the postmortem report on Thursday revealed that the baby died of strangulation, police detained the girl, who confessed to the crime, the senior police officer added.
The girl was later arrested under Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). She was produced before a juvenile justice court, which sent her to a correction home, the officer said.
A child rights activist Prashant Dubey said, “After FIR, the police should have ensured the counselling of the survivor because humiliation and depression are common problem among girls after rape. The doctors at district hospital should have also conducted counselling to deal with post-natal depression. The state government should hold an inquiry to know the factors behind this incident.”
