For over a year, a 13-year-old girl was being repeatedly molested by her father’s friend. What’s even more shocking is that her parents knew about it, but refused to come to her rescue. The reason? The girl’s father owed Rs50,000 to his friend, Nisar Khan, and was in no position to repay him. The Vitthalwadi police drove away the minor when she tried to lodge a complaint while Khan continues to roam freely.
The girl, a resident of Ulhasnagar, was so traumatised at being ‘used’ by her family and Khan that she went into a shell. From being a bright, bubbly girl, she remained aloof and dejected most of the time. When her teacher at Vitthalwadi school noticed the transformation, she took the Class VIII student into confidence and asked her what was wrong. The teacher was aghast after she heard the girl’s story.
When her parents were questioned by the school, they stopped sending the girl to school and did not allow her to meet anyone. The school then called up NGO Aasra Kalyan Childline’s number, following which members of the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) were alerted.
“Her teachers told us that the girl, who was otherwise sharp and bright, changed completely. The teachers took her into confidence, following which she narrated her trauma,” said CWC member Sindhu Ramteke.
In the meantime, the CWC alleged that the girl’s parents sent her to their native place in Uttar Pradesh on February 3. “The Vitthalwadi police got in touch with the UP police, but they said they did not have the funds to send her back. We have now asked the CWC there to do the needful,” a CWC member told DNA.
Ramteke said the CWC has sent a letter to the Vitthalwadi police, asking them to rescue the girl. Chandrakant Deshmukh, senior inspector at Vitthalwadi police station, admitted to having received the letter. “I have asked my officers to trace the girl at the earliest,” he said. Deshmukh, however, denied having knowledge of the girl being driven away when she approached the police.
@sunchikapandey
