Parents of Dalit girl who was raped and decapitated fear boycott

The father of the victims said, “I still cannot believe that my sons and brother could do such a thing. I was out that day and returned to learn my daughter was missing.”

The parents of a 12-year-old Dalit girl who was raped and decapitated allegedly by three of her brothers and an uncle are in shock and grief and are concerned that they may face a social boycott.

The Class 6 student was reported missing on March 13 and her body and the severed head were found the next day in an agricultural field outside Berkhedi village in Madhya Pradesh. (Representative image)

The minor girl went missing on March 13 from her home and her body was found the following day in a field outside the village in Sagar district. The accused were arrested on Monday.

“I still cannot believe that my sons and brother could do such a thing. I was out that day and returned to learn my daughter was missing. I dialled 100 from a neighbour’s phone. My three sons and brother were with me all this time, but they were silent,” the father said, shaking his head and choking on his words. His wife weeps silently most of the time but in between lets out a wail of anguish.

A little distance away is his brother’s house, which is now locked because he and his wife are in jail. The brother-in-law of the victim’s father, who tries to consoles him, suggests that the entire case is a frame-up. “The police were under pressure so they cooked up the case. If we had money we would have hired a lawyer,” the brother-in-law said.