Protection for Dalit girl’s family sought for filing case under Pocso Act

The NGO carried out a field study in the village with the family and with the public, on Wednesday and after the investigation Kathir, Executive Director, Evidence, said, “The girl was raped for the second time in two years by two persons from an intermediate caste but the family was threatened by village elders from the intermediate caste to not to file complaint against them.”

The incident happened on April 22, when the girl was playing outside her house. Rajadurai (56), from the same village, took the girl to a secluded place and had molested her. When the girl informed her mother, she questioned Rajadurai, but he had abused her by calling her caste name, said Kathir.

“When the mother said that she would register a police complaint against Rajadurai, he threatened to murder the entire family, but the family dared him and proceeded with the police complaint,” said Kathir.

He also said that when the family went to police station to file a complaint, a gang of more than 100 men from the intermediate caste picketed the police station and threatened the family not to file complaint against Rajadurai. But, the family braved them and filed a complaint under the POCSO Act.

However, this is not the first such incident against the girl. “The victim was sexually molested in February, last year, by a 21-year-old youth, but the village elders did not allow the family to file a complaint against him then. Just a pardon letter was obtained from the accused and was left scot free,” said Kathir.

He also demanded the government to give protection to the family as the intermediate caste have threatened to ostracise the family, to provide required medical assistance to the family and to provide Rs 10 lakh as compensation.