The story of the young teen who gave birth to her alleged rapist’s baby last week takes another turn, with the accused’s family saying they will seek a DNA test
She looks down dotingly into the kohl-lined eyes of her seven-day-old baby, the faint smile escaping the corner of her lips, the only tell-tale expression in her otherwise impassive face.
She is just 13, this new mother who gave birth to her alleged rapist’s child after losing a legal battle to medically terminate her nearly 20-week pregnancy. Her story, which hit national headlines as it went from one court to another, has now taken another turn.
Sitting on the charpoy where the infant is sleeping, she is quiet as her father narrates her tale. The family has heard that the father of the accused was planning to approach the court for a DNA test and was ready to “accept” the girl and the child if the result was positive. "We will go by what the court decides," says her father.
The girl's face betrays nothing. Asked if she would agree to marry the accused if he proposed, an imperceptible nod interrupts her stillness. In a society where the stigma of rape saw her deliver her baby in an ambulance because the nurse at the primary health centre refused to help a rape survivor, her life seems set for a new paradoxical twist -- again one beyond her control.
Her father fears that the boy may agree to marry her to escape prison and later give her talaq. "Just three words and she will be back here again," he says, unaware of the raging debate over triple talaq.
Some neighbours who have gathered at his house say that nobody else will marry the girl. The girl's father opened a bank account just two days ago after offers of help started pouring in from various quarters. However, no money has come so far. A construction labourer with eight children, aged between two and 20, and now with a grandson, he says his daughter has studied till Class IV but can’t even write her name. He blames it on the condition in government schools.
Across the narrow lane next to his small kuccha house is the home of the accused. The house is much bigger. Inside, two teenaged girls embroider a bridal red sari intricately in golden thread. Giving credence to village talk, the father of the accused says that they will seek a DNA test in court on November 1. “If the child is my son's, we will get the nikah done and accept the girl and child,” he says. He, however, refuses to admit that his son was involved and blames it on politics in the village.
Like the girl's father, he, too, has eight children, but is financially much better off. The talk is that the girl and the accused had an affair, but when the girl got pregnant, the 22-year-old boy refused to marry her.
The girl’s lawyer, VP Dhyani, dismisses talk of a DNA test saying that the family of the accused was trying to mislead everyone. According to him, this was just a ploy as the law will have to take its course and the DNA request can only be made after the witnesses depose in court.
By the time, the girl approached the lawyer in June, seeking medical termination of pregnancy, she was already nearly 20 weeks pregnant. Dhyani says there were administrative delays and investigating officers were not cooperating. Time finally ran out and the girl gave birth on October 12.
As the legal tangle continues, the girl is busy tending to her baby, who is yet to be named. Several couples reportedly offer to adopt the baby, but she has spoken up to say that she does not want to part with it. It’s probably the only choice she has made in a long time.
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