Rape victim, 13, commits suicide over police inaction, harassment by neighbours

A 13-year-old rape victim committed suicide by hanging herself in her house in Cooperganj, under Raipurva police station, here as she was upset over failure of police in arresting the accused persons and derogatory remarks by some women living in her neighbourhood, her family members said.

Taking stern view of the incident, senior superintendent of police (SSP) Anant Deo suspended four cops, including the station house officer, a sub-inspector and constables of Raipurva police station for negligence of duty.

Superintendent of police (East) R K Agarwal said on Saturday that a report had been lodged against three persons in connection with the rape case.

Earlier, a written statement of the victim was registered, Agarwal said, and added that action would be initiated against the accused persons on the basis of the recorded statements and medical reports of the victim. Efforts were on to nab the three accused in the rape case, the SP said.

According to the victim’s family members, Mohammad Wasik, Wasaf and Shyamu abducted their minor daughter from their house on July 13 and gangraped her. After the victim, a class six student, reported the rape to her parents, they went to the police station to lodge a report against the accused persons. The victim’s family members said the police there were reluctant to register the report but finally registered it. However, the police showed no interest in arresting the accused.

On Friday, some women of the victim’s locality passed derogatory remarks against her, after which she committed suicide as she could not bear up with the humiliation, her family members said.

After the suicide by the girl, the police came into action and rushed to her house in Cooperganj under Raipurva police station to take her body for autopsy. But the agitated family members refused to hand over the body to police and started raising slogans against the police.

The SP (East) R K Agarwal and the circle officer, Anwarganj, Safaiddin Baig rushed to the spot with adequate police force and after two hours of persuasion, the police managed to take the body in its custody for autopsy.

Earlier a girl, resident of Gangaganj colony in Panki here, who was raped by a person living in her locality, had also committed suicide due to police inaction in the matter.