Runaway minor orphan claims rape by stranger

The police are trying to trace an unidentified person who allegedly raped a 14-year-old runaway orphan girl in Chandannagar. While a case was registered with the Deccan police station on Saturday, officials attached to the Women and Child Development Department claim that the police delayed the matter and were not ready to register a complaint stating that they were busy with VIP bandobast in the city.

Shirur to city: The government girls' observation home in Shirur from where the minor ran away to reach the city. Pic/Sachin Parbhane

According to the police, the girl was staying in Mahilasevagram on Karve Road and was recently shifted to an observation home in Shirur, as the school attached to Mahilashram is only till Std VII. The girl allegedly did not like the arrangements at the home and ran away on June 13 and Ambika Garad, superintendent of the observation home, lodged a missing persons complaint the next day.

The girl reached Mahilasevagram late on Friday evening and the superintendent of the home, noticing bloodstains on her clothes, reported the matter to the Women and Child Development Department. The girl later disclosed that a stranger had raped her, following which a case of rape was lodged with the Deccan police station on Saturday.

Inspector Ashok Kshirsagar of the Shirur police station confirmed that Garad had lodged a missing person complaint on June 14, claiming that the girl had run away. According to officials attached to the office of the Women and Child Development Department, the girl reached Mahilasevagram two days after she went missing from the observation home in Shirur, and her condition was not good and she appeared to be under tremendous pressure.

Garad noticed the bloodstains on her clothes and after repeatedly questioning, the girl claimed she someone had raped her in Chandannagar. Inspector Manohar Joshi of the Deccan police station refuted the claims being made by officials of the Women and Child Development Department and said that there was no delay in lodging a complaint. "FIR was registered immediately after the matter was reported to us and we never said that we cannot register the offence stating Bandobast reasons," Joshi said, Joshi added that the girl has been transferred to the government hospital for a medical test. "As the girl claimed that she was raped in Chandannagar area, the case has been transferred to Vimantal police station," Joshi said.

Inspector Prakash Shaha from the Vimantal police station said that the girl claimed to have been raped at a plot of barren land near Chadannagar Bus Depot. "We are doubtful as the spot mentioned in the FIR is a crowded place and we doubt that such an offence can be committed there." Shaha said.

He added that the police would be able to get more information only after a detailed statement from the victim. "We are waiting for her medical report, and expect to get it today (Monday)," Shaha said.u00a0