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9-yr-old ‘raped’ in Bandra
A nine-year-old girl from a home for destitute children in Bandra (west) has accused four fellow inmates (all minors) of raping her for more than a month on the institute’s premises. Debasish Panigrahi reports.
A nine-year-old girl from a home for destitute children in Bandra (west) has accused four fellow inmates (all minors) of raping her for more than a month on the institute’s premises.
Authorities at the home learnt of the alleged crime only on Sunday. Following a complaint by the authorities, the Bandra police, on Tuesday, rounded up the four boys and sent them to the children’s remand home.
“Prima facie it has been established that the girl was raped on several occasions. We are waiting for the medical reports for a corroboration,” Shamad Sheikh, senior inspector of Bandra police station, told Hindustan Times on Wednesday.
According to the Bandra police, the girl is a student of Class 1 at the school, which is run on the premises of the institution.
Around 350 boys and girls, all minors, live in the home run by a leading missionary organisation.
Sheikh said the incident came to light on Sunday during the monthly interactive session with the children.
“Authorities at the institution hold interactive sessions with the inmates once a month. During the session, every inmate is asked separately about the problem/s he or she is facing and the grievances are immediately addressed,” Sheikh added.
During Sunday’s session, the girl, Sheikh said, revealed that four seniors, aged 14, 12, 12, 10 respectively, had been raping her since March 3 this year.
“The boys, in Class 3, 4 and 5, had apparently raped the girl separately for more than a month,” Sheikh said.
After the authorities lodged a complaint, the Bandra police sent a woman constable to whom the girl confided everything.
“Once we established that the girl was speaking the truth, we rounded up the boys. The victim as well as the accused were sent for a medical examination,” Sheikh said.
The boys admitted to the doctor that they had sexual intercourse with the girl. The girl told the doctor that she was traumatised by the repeated sexual assaults, but was scared to protest or tell anyone.
Police said other inmates who had witnessed the crime were too scared to speak out.
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