Dalit cager pushed off roof after 'rape bid' at Moga stadium

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Moga, August 16

An 18-year-old budding basketball player has been battling for her life at the DMCH in Ludhiana for the past four days after three youths, who allegedly tried to rape her, pushed her off a 25-foot-high roof of an indoor stadium here on August 12.

Both legs fractured

• Doctors say the 18-year-old girl has suffered fractures in both legs, feet and jaws
• She undewent two surgeries, but is unable to speak & regain full consciousness
• A case under Sections 307, 376, 511 & 34, IPC, has been lodged against 3 suspects

Doctors say the girl, who belongs to the Dalit community, has suffered fractures in both legs, feet and jaws. Of the three suspects, the main one has been identified as Jatin Kanda, son of a jeweller.

The girl’s father, who works as a labourer at a local rice mill, claimed the police daily-dallied on registering the case. “A policeman came from Moga today and recorded my statement,” he said, adding his daughter was not in a position to record her statement.

“A case was registered today against Jatin and two unidentified persons. Jatin is yet to be arrested,” said Daljeet Singh, SHO, City (I) police station.

“My daughter is intelligent and brave. Every evening, she went to Guru Nanak College Stadium to play basketball. On August 12, after her tuition class, she went to the stadium with her friends to practice. Her friends told me three youths, one of them Jatin, tried to rape her. When she resisted, they tried to snatch her cellphone and started thrashing her. She ran from there and when

she tried to call us, they pushed her off the stadium’s roof. She fell on the concrete floor and became unconscious,” said the father.

Other players took her to the district hospital, from where she was referred to the Ludhiana in a critical condition.

“The doctors said she will have to undergo a few more surgeries,” the father added.