Supaul rape survivor challenges medical report

PATNA: A rape survivor of Supaul is running from pillar to post to get justice. On Friday she along with her family members met DM Mahendra Kumar and demanded a probe into the medical examination, which had denied rape despite the fact that she was gang-raped by five of the six persons arrested in the case on September 25.
The victim, a Class VI student, told the DM that she was forcibly picked up by six persons when she had gone to attend the nature’s call on September 24.Thereafter, five of the accused raped her and threatened to kill her father if she dared to reveal her ordeal to anybody or lodged a police complaint.
The Triveniganj police station had lodged an FIR on her statement. While four of the accused were arrested the same day, two others were nabbed later, the girl told the DM at his weekly janata darbar. Her uncle alleged that the medical report was tampered with to help the accused. “How did the copy of the medical report reach the relatives of the accused? It is a confidential document and is handed over to the investigating officer of the case,” he said, raising fingers at the doctors who had conducted the medical test.
When contacted, Supaul civil surgeon Dr Krishna Prasad said, “The medical test of a rape victim is conducted under the supervision of a three-member board. While the private parts are examined by a female doctor, other related tests like determination of age is done by two other male doctors.”
Prasad, however, said, “We don’t care who is blaming whom. We are professionals and depend on the evidence only.”
The DM couldn’t be contacted for his comments.
Meanwhile, a married woman, who was shot at by some armed criminals while resisting rape of her younger sister and elder brother’s wife under Pratapganj police station area of the district early this week, died at a private hospital in Patna on Thursday.
The incident took place near Chiloni river when the victims were returning home from a village fair held on the occasion of Dussehra. The rape survivor was sent for medical examination a day after the incident. Supaul SP Mritunjay Kumar Choudhary said the sketches of the suspects have been prepared and circulated to all the SHOs. However, the girl denied rape in her statement recorded in the court under Section 164 of CrPC.
Pratapganj SHO Rajnish Kumar Kesari said raids were on to arrest the accused.
(The victim's identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme Court directives on cases related to sexual assault)