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| Father commits suicide for 'failing to bring justice to a daughter who was a victim of rape |
After the case of the rape of a minor girl in Uttar Pradesh's Jalon district came to light, the family members claim that the father of the victim committed suicide on June 5, frustrated with the police's behavior.
The relatives say that the girl's father was disappointed because of the carelessness and indifference of the local police in the rape case and committed suicide.
On the allegation of the family, the Superintendent of Police of Jalon says that a departmental inquiry is underway against the allegations of negligence on the part of the police in this matter.
June 7 was the third day since the death of the 17-year-old rape victim's father, but the entire family was in no mood to mourn his memory.
When we reached her house, the girl was getting ready to leave at seven in the morning as her statement was going to be recorded before the magistrate.
His father's no bar (a post-death ritual) was also held in the house on the same day.
On the one hand, the family members had to complete the police investigation, on the other hand, they had to complete the necessary rituals after the death. Amidst all this, the family members were not talking much to each other due to the police presence in the house.
The victim sat on the roof steps and spoke to the BBC.
What did the victim say?
The girl who was the victim of rape said, "I have not had my period since this incident." I told this to my friend, who is the daughter of Devendra and Lakshmi (co-accused). He told this to his mother Lakshmi. Then they called me home and tested me with a pregnancy kit and told me I was pregnant. Then on May 25th she brought me medicine and fed me. '
She started crying while telling me this.
When did you tell your house? The victim said that after giving him medicine, Lakshmi (co-accused) spread the word throughout the village that he was going to become a mother, after which they called his elder sister and told her. Didi called my mother again. I got my period after taking the medicine. We also told this at the police station.
However, the administration neither openly accepted nor denied it.
In the FIR, there is no mention of the pregnancy that the victim is talking about. According to the information received from the police, she was not pregnant in the medical report.
The father took his own life
This rape case in Jalon district has been in the media headlines for the past several days. The victim's family has alleged that the police are pressurizing them to give consent.
They alleged that the police had threatened to implicate them in a false case if they did not compromise.
The relatives say that the victim's father has committed suicide out of frustration.
Local political leaders have also started stirring after the issue got prolonged and came to the media. The family members are only talking about bringing justice to everyone who comes.
Sitting by the door, the victim's grandmother is unable to accept the death of her only son.
She kept asking every passer-by to say that she is alive and will come back soon. He was my only son. Now everything is over.
Showing her father's shoes and clothes, the elder daughter's eyes became moist. The unlit hearth of the morning of the fifth of June lies on the roof, which has not been lit since that day.
What is the matter?
According to the family, a 17-year-old minor girl was raped on March 28, 2023.
The family says that the accused threatened the victim to keep quiet about the matter but when the news of her pregnancy spread throughout the village, she told her family.
The rape victim's parents and two younger brothers had gone to Punjab two months ago to work as a round gape.
After hearing the incident, he came home on May 30 and went to the ET police station on May 31 to lodge an FIR.
Blame the police
Accusing the police, the mother of the rape victim said that we sat in the police station from 2 pm to 11 pm on May 31 but our FIR was not registered.
He only threatened and said, "Write the petition and sign that we are framing the accused on a false charge." If this is not done, we will implicate your husband in false accusations.
Family members and villagers say that the father of the girl who was the victim of rape committed suicide around 10 am on June 5 after seeing no hearing of the case by the police.
Three accused have been arrested after this case caught fire.
Expressing anger at the attitude of the police, the victim's mother says, "Under pressure from the station in-charge, we signed a false application, in which it was written that we had arrested the accused Devendra and his wife Lakshmi from the villagers. Misidentified after being misled. They are not at fault in this matter. The rapist was the main accused Dolo. Later our cousin's sister-in-law filed a complaint on the online portal. Then the people of the police station wrote an FIR somewhere.
What is in the FIR?
According to the copy of the FIR, an FIR was registered against three people at the police station on June 4 at 10.56 pm ET.
In this, the main accused Dolo alias Manvinder is accused of rape.
While Lakshmi and her husband Devendra are accused of seducing the victim. According to Indian law, the provisions of Section 376, and 120B of the IPC have been imposed.
About the FIR being written, the victim's mother says, "I came to know that the FIR was filed after the death of the husband."
was written They (accused Lakshmi, Devendra) have been arrested only after the death of their (husband).
He says that 'one thing was wronged with our daughter and after that,, we were threatened to compromise, due to which my husband lost his life.'
What do the police say?
Jalon Superintendent of Police Iraj Raja told BBC that the three accused have been arrested according to the statement of the relatives. The main accused was already lodged in Jalon Jail in another case on June 3. He was arrested for drugs. The girl has been medically examined. Statements under Section 164 CrPC were also recorded in the court on Wednesday.
When did this matter come to your knowledge?
To this, SP Iraj Raja replied that I got the information about this matter through the online portal on June 4. An FIR was immediately registered at the ET Police Station on the same day. The two police officers who have been accused of negligence by the family members were suspended on June 5 while the departmental inquiry against them is still going on.
On June 7, the cousin of the victim's father showed a petition, which he was going to submit to the Superintendent of Police, in which he accused suspended police officer Narendra Gautam of harassing her brother. He took a suicidal step. Therefore, an FIR should be registered against Narendra Gautam.
In response to this question, when we spoke to the Superintendent of Police, he said that the departmental inquiry is going on, if he is found guilty in the investigation, an FIR will be registered.
What did the neighbors say?
Ramdas, who runs a Sauda Salaf shop near accused Devendra's house, said, “On the day of Devendra's younger daughter's birthday (March 28), I was at the shop. There was a lot of dancing and singing. Many girls from the neighborhood had gathered at his house but there was no report of anything like a rape.
He says, "Where does the police listen to the poor, if they had listened, would the shadow of their father have lifted from the children, when the entire village became one, the police have taken so much action in this matter."
They say that the victim's father was a gentleman and the only boy in the family. The entire village mourns his death. He used to work hard to support his family. Now there is no one to take care of the family.
The poor financial condition of the family
The victim girl is the second among her four siblings. She lived with her grandparents. She used to cook at home and went to work every day.
Accused Devendra works as a contractor. Most of the laborers of the village come to him for labor.
Her elder sister's marriage took place on February 22 this year, in which the family had to mortgage their one-and-a-half bigha land for two lakh rupees.
Father had gone to Punjab two months ago to set up a Golgape stall to repay the loan. He was accompanied by his mother and two younger brothers (aged 10 and 12).
The 60-year-old grandfather of the victim girl says that one and a half bigha of land was given to a priest of the village for two years for the marriage of the great-granddaughter for two lakh rupees, with an interest of two hundred rupees per month. He (the son) was very worried about the repayment of this loan, he went away saying that don't worry, in two years he will gradually earn and pay it back.
What action has the police taken so far?
Relatives of the victim girl have also filed an application at the ET police station on June 6, accusing the accused Devendra,,, and his wife Lakshmi of instigating suicide.
When the BBC spoke to ET station in-charge Krishnapal Saroj about this, he said, "A case was registered against both on the same day under Section 306 of the IPC."
Accused Lakshmi and Devendra's house is a short distance away from the victim's house, which is still closed. A family member close to his home spoke to us on condition of anonymity.
"The police held him for a day and released him the next day," he says. When the matter escalated, the police caught him again. While that gentleman lost his life due to not getting justice.
"The day the news of the execution of the victim's father spread in the village, the entire village raised slogans against the police. We did not take the body down until a senior officer came and confirmed it," he added. Insisted that there will be justice in this matter.'
On the other hand, the uncle of the victim girl, who was with the father in this whole matter from the first day, says that if the police had not used violence, he would never have taken such a step as suicide. have failed to deliver justice.'