By Aishwarya Mohanty
A 74-year-old man was booked by the Jajpur district police for allegedly raping and impregnating a minor girl at his residence. The 15-year-old tribal girl had been working as a house help at the residence of the accused in Bhubaneswar for the last two years, she stated in her complaint.
She alleged that her employer raped her multiple times over the last two years and sent her back home on October 20 after he suspected that she was pregnant. The survivor further alleged that the accused threatened to push her off the roof and harm her family if she spoke about the ordeal to anyone.
The accused is the father-in-law of an Odisha Administrative Services (OAS) officer and lives in the same building as him, police officials said. The OAS officer serves as a deputy municipal commissioner in the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation.
After returning home, she broke down in front of her mother and revealed her ordeal. Her mother then approached the police and a case was registered against the accused under charges of rape, criminal intimidation and under relevant sections of the Prevention Of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and under sections of the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act. Medical examination also confirmed pregnancy.
According to the police, the survivor’s father is bedridden from a chronic disease and her mother and brother work as contractual labourers. She was pushed into child labour at the age of 13, to help assist in the treatment of her father.
Arrests in the case are yet to be made. Investigating officer Sangram Kishore said, “We have conducted all the medical examinations for the girl. Her statement has also been recorded. We are waiting for the ultrasound report to ascertain the exact age of the fetus. Further investigations into the case are underway.” ( Indian Express )
