Mounesh Vishwakarma
Daijiworld Media Network – Bantwal (EP)
Bantwal, Sep 20: In a swift action on Wednesday night, September 19, Bantwal town police arrested three men accused of raping an eight-year-old girl near Goodinabali in the taluk. The child is a fourth standard student.
The arrested are Goodinabali resident, junk trader Shekhabba (65), bakery item salesman Ambari alias Razak (35) and hotel worker Nawaz (21). Angry localities gathered outside the police station on Wednesday night and urged the police to register a case under stringent sections so that the accused may get suitable punishment.
The police have registered case under IPC sections 376, 506 and sections 4, 8 and 12 of POSCO Act 2012 against the arrested.
Stones hurled at car and house
As a large number of people gathered in the vicinity there was an atmosphere of anxiety and confusion for some time. Some young men hurled stones on a Maruti Omni car which is supposedly owned by Razak and damaged it. Police who came there immediately sent the people away and took the car to the police station. There are also reports of people throwing stones to the house of Shekhabba.
The girl in the complaint to the police has stated that the accused men had sent other children who were accompanying her away. While one of them sexually abused her on the terrace of his house, the other raped her in a new building.
The victim in her complaint states that she had gone to the house of her grandmother near Goodinamane. She with other children had visited the house of Ambari Razak which is located in the neighbourhood. “Ambari Razak sent away other children and took me to the terrace of his house and raped me,” she has alleged in the complaint.
She has alleged that junk trader Shekhabba also raped her by taking her to a new building while hotel worker Nawaz son of Hasanabba behaved indecently with her and flashed his private parts.
Threatened of breaking hands and legs
The child has told the police that Ambari Razak and Shekhabba had threatened to beat her and break her hands and legs if she tells the incident to anybody.
Changes in the behaviour of the girl
The girl’s family who noticed changes in her behaviour took her to the hospital. Police said that the incident is taken up seriously following the report by the doctor.
SIO, SDPI urge for stern legal action against accused
Student’s Islamic organisation of India, Panemangalore branch has condemned the incident and urged for strict action against the accused. “This is an example of repeated sexual harassment of women and children. Strict and impartial action should be taken against the accused, so that such incidents do not reoccur and the family of the child may get justice.”
Bantwal Municipal Council Committee of Social Democratic Party of India has condemned the rape of the eight year old girl. “It is unfortunate that the number of rapes and sexual harassment incidents on women are increasing. It is sad that young girls are becoming victims of such miscreants. The society has to hang its head in shame due to such happenings,” they have stated in a letter.
A delegation of SDPI submitted the letter to taluk tahsildar and assistant police commissioner requesting to provide justice, security and suitable compensation to the girl.
Bantwal municipal council committee president Monish Ali, block committee president Yusuf Aladka, district committee vice president I M R Iqbal, district chief secretary Shahul Hameed H S, block committee treasurer Aboobacker Madda, municipal council committee secretary Siddik Nandarabettu, treasurer Iqbal N, council elected members Idris P J, Shamsad, Zeenath and others presented the letter.