17-yr-old left pregnant after rape, women groups hold protests

Aparna Banerji

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, May 27

After a four-year-old was raped at Dhuri on Saturday and a three-year-old resident of Sarhali village in Jalandhar was raped on Friday, women groups across 25 villages in Shahkot are now protesting against the recent rape of a 17-year-old at the Sindhar village in Shahkot.

Daughter of daily wagers, the girl was raped and left pregnant following which her parents registered an FIR at the Lohian police station. This is the third case of rape of a minor surfacing in the state within the past three days. While the two suspects were arrested by the Lohian police last evening, rights groups demand inclusion of sections of the SC/ST Act in the case.

Activists of the Istri Jagriti Manch, who began protesting over the issue three days ago, will gherao the office of the Jalandhar SSP tomorrow.

Mother of the 17-year-old rape victim at Sindhar village said: “I had been working at the house of a farmer in the village for the past five years. My daughter also began working there since the past six months, off and on. While she was acting quiet, we did not knew that something was wrong. Months after her rape, we came to know that she had been violated at the farm. The family said she was like their adopted daughter but it was violating her. Firstly, the owner’s son raped her and later, he, along with one of his relative, raped her again. They threatened her with a pistol, asking her to keep quiet or her parents would be killed. She has been left pregnant by them. The suspects were arrested yesterday. We want strict action against them.”

While an FIR was lodged against the duo, Rajinder Singh and Raja, on May 17 at the Lohian police station, protests began days ago. The members of the manch have been traversing villages across Shakot for the past three days seeking justice and addition of sections of the SC/ST Act in the FIR.

The Sindhar village case was lodged under Sections 376 and 51 of the IPC and 4 and 6 of the POCSO Act.

Activist Tarsem Peter said: “Repeated incidents of rapes of minors are taking place and women are being violated. The police are yet to add sections of the SC/ST Act, despite repeated demands. While protests have been held at Beer Baloke, Sidhar and at the Lohian police station, we will continue raising our voice across villages. Repeated incidents prove girls and women are unsafe and the administration is doing nothing to address the problem.”

On Sunday, a 35-year-old migrant labourer had been booked for the rape of a three-year-old girl at Sarhali village in Jalandhar. Daughter of a migrant labourer, the girl was picked up on Friday night while playing in the fields and taken to a room used for storing straw and raped by the suspect.

Meanwhile, SSP Rural, Navjot Singh Mahal, said: “Surfacing of such cases is unfortunate but the police are doing their best and arresting culprits as soon as possible. In the Lohian case, our teams chased the suspects all the way to Rajasthan following leads at Ganga Nagar and Bikaner before finally arresting them from Hanuman Garh. In many of these cases, the police have assured parents that justice will be delivered while they were earlier scared to lodge FIRs. Action is being taken and the guilty are being brought to book.”

Third case in three days

A daughter of daily wagers, the 17-yr-old victim was raped and left pregnant by owners of a farm she worked at. This is the third case of rape of a minor surfacing in the state within the past three days. Groups demand inclusion of the SC/ST Act sections in FIR.