19-year-old rape victim delivers child

Sukhmeet Bhasin

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, February 12

A 19-year-old rape victim gave birth to a child at the civil hospital on Monday night. The condition of both mother and child is said to be stable.

The police would on Wednesday file an application in the court regarding conducting the DNA test of the accused, patwari Jagjit Singh and Jagga Singh. After getting the court’s approval, both the accused would be brought from the jail for the test.

The accused raped the victim repeatedly for a long time. The issue came to light when one of the accused murdered the victim’s step father, Manga Singh, at Lehra Bega village.

Jagga Singh was a distant relative of Manga Singh. The former was staying at his place in Lehra Bega village when Manga Singh’s land came under acquisition for the newly constructed grain market at Bucho Mandi.

Jagga Singh, in connivance with patwari Jagjit Singh, started planning to grab the said land. Manga Singh then protested Jagga’s stay at his house, irked over which the latter murdered him.

Till then, both the accused were continuously raping the victim and she remained silent due to fear. But when her step father was killed and police arrested both the accused for it, the girl gathered courage and lodged a rape complaint last month. At the time of filing the complaint, she was eight months pregnant.

Bucho police post in charge Hargobind Singh said to know who was the father of the child, they would conduct the DNA test of both the accused. They would file an application in the court requesting a DNA test on Wednesday.