Jajpur: In an act that defiles the word 'justice' in every sense of the term, a minor who was raped and later got pregnant has been ostracized by the villagers along with her family in Gurudisahi village under Kaliapani police limits of Jajpur district.
Not satisfied with banishing the family from the village, the villagers have even decided to levy a fine of Rs 500 on persons who are found talking to the family members of the victim. The whole incident has left the victim and her family in a state of shock and helplessness with nowhere to go and nothing to cling on to.
The victim, a Class-VI student, was raped by one Sadanand Barik of the same village. She got pregnant and later delivered a baby girl. However, the accused refused to marry the girl after which the matter went to the police station. The accused was arrested and sent to jail.
Later, the villagers, in what could only be described as a Kangaroo Court hearing, held the victim guilty and decided to shun her family.
“I was raped by a person who used to frequent our house. One day when my parents were not present in the house, he forced himself on me. However, the villagers allege that I had relations with some other person and have stopped talking to my family. They also stopped us from using drinking water available in the village,” said the victim.
After the incident came to the notice of the district administration, the Jajpur collector ordered a probe by the child welfare committee and child protection committee.
Meanwhile, Sukinda BDO and Kaliapani police in-charge, who have begun their investigation into the matter, have said that the victim was a minor and her family will be given all required support and action will be taken against the persons who decided to ostracize them.
“Our primary responsibility is to rescue the newborn child. We will see the provisions of the law and decide accordingly,” said Prasant Mishra, member, district child protection committee.
“We have sent the DNA sample to determine the fatherhood of the newborn child. After gathering all other information we will file a final charge sheet with the court,” said officer in-charge of Kaliapani police station, Yuvraj Singh.