“The first information report on the rape of a 12-year old girl has been registered with police. Further information regarding the incident cannot be divulged as the investigation is ungoing,” said Superintendent of Police (SP) Manoj Neupane. [break]
According to locals, two youths had taken the girl under control when she had gone out in the night to relieve herself, and they then raped her throughout the night of February 14 .
The victim´s family said the girl received medical treatment right in the village the following day.
“I want to see the guilty brought to book for ravaging my minor child and rendering her life a living hell,” said her father.
According to Shyama Kumari Saha, a women´s rights activist in the district, this is the third incident of rape in one month and there has been an equal number of attempted rapes. Saha further said that police have utterly failed to ensure the security for women and girls as no perpetrator of any such crime in the last month has been brought to book so far.
Those guilty in the gang rape of a girl from a squatter settlement in Dhangadi VDC are still at large. “Police failure to bring to book those guilty of rape affects the delivery of justice to the victim as the perpetrators would have time to press the victim´s family to change their statement and force them to settle out of court,” said Saha.
“People tend to hide such incidents and settle them in the village itself through mutual agreement between the two sides involved. This trend will only boost the confident of the perpetrators,” said Saha.
Two weeks ago, police, instead of taking action against some kidnappers and alleged rapists, had themselves mediated an abduction case. It was later disclosed that Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Rohini Pokharel had taken Rs 25,000 as a bribe for forcing the victim to come to terms with the kidnappers.
“I had expected justice, with the police taking action against those who ravaged my daughter. But, ASI Pokharel stopped me, handing me Rs 90,000 and saying that the amount constituted justice,” the victim girl´s father said. ASI Pokharel faced departmental action after the police role in the settlement of the incident came to light.
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