Villagers helped girl expose ‘rapist’ dad

Villagers of Isasani on the outskirts of Nagpur helped a 15-year-old girl muster courage to speak up against her father, who allegedly abused her sexually over four years.

The villagers are said to have rallied around the victim, a school dropout, when she narrated her ordeal to the sarpanch, a woman, on Wednesday.  As soon as they got to know about the matter, they accompanied her to the police station to lodge a complaint.

The Hingna police have booked Radheshyam Shiv, 35, for rape following the teenager’s complaint.

A local court remanded him in police custody till April 2.

The victim said she decided to put an end to her ordeal after being raped on Tuesday night.

The father allegedly raped her in their house while four siblings slept in an adjoining room. Shiv has pleaded innocence, but the police said the girl’s statement gives details of her trauma.

She said that in the latest instance, Shiv forced himself on her on the pretext of asking her to massage his feet.

Sub-inspector Preeti Duddulkar, who is investigating the case, said medical reports confirmed intercourse.

The teenager is the eldest of Shiv’s six children —- four daughters and two sons.

His wife left him sometime ago with their youngest daughter,
allegedly to escape torture at Shiv’s hands.

She has been living with her parents in Madhya Pradesh since. Family members alleged that he used to beat them up and harass them, but they did not have the courage to complain against him.