Patna, A panchayat (village body) in Bihar has ordered a
girl, who was raped by four brothers and is now seven months pregnant, to take
Rs.50,00 and undergo an abortion, police said Thursday.
“The
victim along with her mother and informed me that four brothers of her village
raped her seven months back and now she is seven months pregnant,” said police
official Sweta Gupta over telephone from Kishanganj, about 400 km from here.
“When she
approached the village panchayat, seeking justice and punishment against the
accused, the panchayat members ordered her take Rs.50,000 to undergo an
abortion. But she refused it,” Gupta added.
It was
the panchayat of village Packola Palashmani in Kishanganj district that gave
the order.
The
16-year-old victim is daughter of a migrant worker who works in Rajasthan to
support the poor family of six. The victim’s mother works as a daily wage
labourer in an agriculture field.
Gupta
said an FIR has been lodged and a probe has begun. “We are trying to arrest the
accused and take action against the panchayat member,” she said.
She
said the victim was afraid to approach police after panchayat members
threatened her. The
police official also said nearly half a dozen similar cases have been reported
to her in last month.
“After
I joined duty here, five girls, mostly from the Muslim community, have filed
similar complaints of being raped and getting pregnant,” she said. “I am
stunned to know that several girls were raped but they failed to inform their
parents. Such cases come to light only when they get pregnant few months
later,” she said.
Kishanganj
is a Muslim dominated district as the community makes up for around 70 percent
of the population. It is one of the most backward districts in the state with
high poverty rate and low levels of literacy. (Source- www.newsroompost.com)
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