India: 43 out of 60 accused arrested in alleged rape of Dalit girl

 Tuesday, January 14, 2025

Islamabad (Point News Today/ Pakistan Point News - 14th Jan, 2025 ) According to Kerala Police, initial investigations suggest that the Dalit girl, who was participating in school-level athletic training, was sexually abused by her classmates, her sports trainer, fellow athlete, neighbor, father's friend and others.

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These details came to light when volunteers from the Kerala Mahila Samakhya Society met the girl during a routine visit and thus came to know about these incidents of sexual abuse.

Dalits fall at the bottom of the Hindu caste hierarchy and face widespread discrimination in India despite laws to protect them.

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A police officer said that cases have also been registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, as the girl was sexually abused even at a minor age.

He added that more cases are expected to be registered in the coming days as the police are still investigating the matter. A 25-member team has been formed for this.

What do we know about the incident?

Police say the alleged sexual abuse began when the girl was 13 years old. The victim's neighbour and childhood friend have been named as the first accused in the case.

According to the allegations, the girl was gang-raped for the first time near her house.

The girl's neighbour allegedly sexually abused her again when she was 16. At that time, the accused recorded videos of the act and shared it with several others who continued to sexually assault the girl for several years to come.

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The case came to light when a team from the Kerala Mahila Samakhya Society visited the girl's house.

The society collects many details of the family under a programme and advises families to deal with the problems.

The girl wanted to talk about the incident that happened during her school days. But she insisted on talking to a senior official, after which the girl and her mother went to the chairman's office, where she narrated everything.

Police said they have registered 18 cases against the accused under various laws, including the Prevention of Atrocities on Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Act and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.

The arrested persons have been sent to 14-day judicial custody.

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Kerala's Minister for Women and Child Development and Protection Veena George has promised that all the accused will be brought to justice.

She said that this heinous crime will not go unpunished.

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Meanwhile, the National Commission for Women has sought a report from the state government in this matter within three days.

Women's rights groups say the case clearly proves that laws alone are not enough to protect children from sexual harassment, and that much more needs to be done.

They further say that the system in India has failed to protect children. Moreover, the poor and vulnerable are becoming more victims.

According to a report by the National Crime Records Bureau, the crime record agency in India, in 2022, about 52,000 cases of crimes against Dalits were registered across the country, but human rights activists say the real number is much higher because people are afraid to file complaints with the police due to social stigma and other reasons.