Minor gang rape victim in Bihar seeks to end pregnancy, women commission backs her

The 13-year-old gang rape victim from Kaimur and her father had approached the commission seeking its help in getting them the permission to terminate pregnancy.

Bihar State Women’s Commission has asked the Inspector General (weaker section) of the state police to help get justice and relief to a 13-year-old the gang rape victim from Kaimur, who is three months’ pregnant and wants to abort.

A 13-year-old the gang rape victim from Kaimur is three months’ pregnant and wants to abort. (HT File Photo/ Representative Image)

In a letter, the commission has urged the IG to intervene into the matter and get her the permission to terminate the pregnancy and submit an action taken report to the commission within 10 days.

The 13-year-old gang rape victim from Kaimur and her father had approached the commission seeking its help in getting them the permission to terminate pregnancy.

They also want DNA test of the foetus done before termination. They were at the women’s commission on Wednesday.

In March this year the victim, the minor from a poor Dalit family of a village under Durgawati police station in Kaimur, was kidnapped by a man from the same village. He took the girl to his house and sprayed an anesthetic on her face leaving her unconscious before he and few others took turns to gang rape her.

“In her statement, the girl had stated that she was held hostage for another 10 days and was repeatedly made to go through all kinds of physical and mental tortures. When she was released, the family tried to report the matter to local police, but the cops allegedly overlooked her pleas,” Nikki Hembrom, a state women commission member, said.

Though the case was registered later, no action was taken. It was only after the women commission’s intervention, the main suspect was arrested a couple of weeks ago, she added,

“But the girl is in even bigger trouble now. Her medical examination has confirmed her pregnancy. But when we saw the little girl sitting beside her father at the commission office, we couldn’t believe it. So the girl was provided pregnancy kit just to cross check and confirm the information. And we were shocked to see the report testing positive,” Hembrom said.

The entire family is now insistent that the pregnancy be terminated and they get the requisite permission as it’s more than three months old now, Hembrom said.

Dilmani Mishra, the state women commission chairperson, said the matter had been miserably ignored at the local level. “The main suspect was arrested only after the commission wrote a letter to Kaimur SP directing speedy action,” she said.

Dr Kamal Kishore Singh, IG, weaker section, did not respond to calls.