Koraput gangrape victim discharged from hospital

CUTTACK: Amid high tension, the minor tribal girl, who was allegedly gang-raped in Koraput district in October, was discharged from SCB Medical College and Hospital here on Monday.
Bowing to the pressure from her family, SCB authorities had to abruptly discharge the rape survivor from hospital. The girl’s mother and other family members have been staging dharna along with Congress leaders on the hospital campus since Friday demanding immediate discharge of their daughter.
The family alleged that they apprehend threat to the life of their daughter in the hospital.Despite repeated requests, the family did not budge on its demand following which the SCB authorities on Monday decided to discharge the girl even her treatment process was not complete.
She was admitted to SCB in a critical state on November 19 after she threw up blood due to overdose of iron tablets. “Though her health condition had improved, she needed psychological counseling as she was in trauma and attempted suicide also by consuming overdose of iron tablets. But her family did not cooperate at all following which we handed over the girl to district child protection officer of Koraput,” said Dr Sriprasad Mohanty of SCB Hospital.
The discharge episode was also filled with high voltage drama. While police allowed the girl’s mother only to accompany her in the vehicle to her journey back home, her family members demanded that her aunt be allowed to go with her too. Koraput MLA Krushna Chandra Sagaria supported the victim’s family and staged a dharna along with his supporters, following which tension erupted in the hospital premises and police reportedly had to resort to mild lathi-charge to control the situation.
However, police finally allowed both her mother and aunt to accompany the girl following which the legislator withdrew his protest.
The class IX girl was allegedly gang-raped by four men in October in Kunduli in Koraput while returning home. A case was also registered. She was kept in a government-run residential school by the administration after the incident. But last week she complained of illness following which she was admitted in Koraput hospital and later shifted to Cuttack.