A village panchayat in Katra in Muzaffarpur, Bihar asked a 15-year-old girl to sell her baby born out of rape as compensation for the crime.
The girl had filed a complaint in July 2019, alleging that she was raped by a mosque cleric and an electrician in January this year. But no action was taken against the perpetrators. Maulana Maqbool and Mohammad Shoaib, who worked as an electrician at a mosque in Katra police area, were accused of repeatedly raping the minor girl, reported Times of India. Last month she gave birth to a child.
Recently, the girl had approached the panchayat with a demand that a DNA test must be conducted to identify the baby’s father so that he can accept the two as his family. However, she was taken back by the panchayat’s response. She alleged that panchayat advised her to “sell her newborn son.”
She was told that she could sell her baby for Rs 20,000 and the money could be treated as compensation for the crime.
The girl was allegedly raped by the cleric when she went to deliver food to him in the mosque. The girl was sedated and raped. She also alleged that the cleric videotaped the whole incident and used it to blackmail her. Later an electrician came to know about the act and raped her.
Currently, the Muzaffarpur police is probing the matter. The accused have been booked under sections of the IPC and POCSO Act, and are at large. Meanwhile, Muzaffarpur Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Jayant Kant said the investigation is underway, and strict action will be taken in the case.
Also Read: 32-Yr-Old Tripura Woman Gang-Raped In Moving Vehicle By Nine, Dumped On Road
