Girl found dead in Sirsa; family alleges rape

Tribune News Service

Sirsa, October 13

Mystery shrouds the death of a 13-year-old girl who was found dead in her house near Bhakra Cotton Mill here on Monday.

The police said it was a case of suicide. The girl’s family, however, claimed she was raped and then murdered. It demanded postmortem by a panel of doctors.

The girl’s father, who is a roadside vendor, alleged that four days back, someone tried to rape his daughter. The incident was reported to the police, but they did not act, he claimed. The girl had come from her native place in Madhya Pradesh’s Bhind district to meet her parents and brother in Sirsa. She was living with her grandparents in MP and pursuing studies.

“I had gone to Delhi for some work yesterday, while my wife and son were also away. When my son returned home in the afternoon, he found his sister lying on the ground. Her dupatta was tied around her neck,” the father said. The boy raised the alarm and people living in the neighbourhood informed the police. The father alleged had the police taken action on his earlier complaint, his daughter would have been alive today.

Sirsa Superintendent of Police (SP) Ashwin Shenvi said the postmortem of the body was under way.

“The postmortem report will ascertain the cause of death. Further action will be taken after that. Apparently, it seems to be death due to hanging,” he said. On the allegation of an earlier rape complaint filed by girl’s family, the SP said, “There was a complaint by a woman of the same name. On inquiry, the complaint was found to be false.”