Rape survivor booked for murder of her newborn child

A 14-year-old girl, who became pregnant after she was allegedly gangraped by five people, was booked on charges of murder after she allegedly threw her newborn into a well in Madhya Pradesh’s Ashok Nagar, police said on Monday

Updated on: Sep 28, 2021, 03:53:45 IST

By Shruti Tomar, Bhopal

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A 14-year-old girl, who became pregnant after she was allegedly gangraped by five people, was booked on charges of murder after she allegedly threw her newborn into a well in Madhya Pradesh’s Ashok Nagar, police said on Monday.

The child’s body was retrieved from the well.

The girl was allegedly gang-raped over several months. The incident was reported to police after the survivor and the prime accused, her cousin, allegedly threw the infant into a well on Saturday.

The girl was booked for murder, and five others — including two minors — were arrested for the alleged gang rape and murder of the child, police said. The girl was sent to a juvenile home on Monday.

The child’s body was retrieved from the well. When questioned, the girl broke down and told the police she was raped between October 2020 and May 2021.

“When she learnt about her pregnancy, her cousin took her to a quack who reportedly gave her pills for an abortion. Despite consuming the pills, the girl gave birth to a girl at home,” he said.

The girl largely lived alone as her mother died three years ago and her father is a migrant labourer, police said. She was produced before a juvenile court on Monday and sent to a juvenile home.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shruti Tomar
I have spent over a decade chronicling Madhya Pradesh’s political and social landscape, covering politics, investigative journalism, crime, human interest, and government policy, blending sharp insight with ground‑level depth. I have closely tracked three assembly elections, three Lok Sabha elections, leadership transitions in MP while exposing governance lapses, tender irregularities, and flawed policy rollouts. My reports have revealed gaps in the Cheetah project, irregularities in medical education, rigging in recruitment exams, and loopholes in policy implementation. In crime reporting, I have moved beyond FIRs to map systemic patterns — from organised crime networks and gender‑based violence to custodial accountability — balancing urgency with sensitivity. My journalism is defined by a commitment to human interest. I have profiled the marginalised Bancchda community, documented atrocities against tribal groups, and highlighted efforts to preserve their culture through heritage liquor and revival of spiritual practices. I have reported on farmers struggling with failed MSP promises, giving voice to those often reduced to statistics in policy files. Passionate about field reporting, I have reported on rampant sand mining in Chambal and Narmada, pharmaceutical companies supplying medicines under altered names, the dire condition of schools and colleges, the plight of commercial sex workers, and skewed sex ratios in specific districts. Beyond deadlines, and as HT’s state correspondent and assistant editor in Madhya Pradesh, I engage with ministers, farmers, students, and activists, believing the best policy stories begin with a single human voice. A postgraduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, I also hold a diploma in sports journalism.Read More

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