Rape survivor’s son’s plight melts Morbi cops, adopt boy

Rajkot: Having revealed its humane face and creating lasting impressions in peoples’ minds during the trying times of lockdown, Morbi cops have not ceased their beneficial role even after the unlock.
This was once again highlighted when the police didn’t waste time in securing the future of a destitute child, the son of a vagabond mother with learning difficulties who was made a mute spectator to a ghastly crime committed on the woman in Halvad of Morbi district recently.
Oblivious to the heinous crime, the four-year-old played in the room where his mother was being raped — a shocking detail that came out in the video which the perpetrators had made that day. While the barbarity numbed the civil society, cops, including Morbi superintendent of police S R Odedara, too couldn’t stay unmoved by the scene.
“While his mother was being raped, oblivious to this ghastly incident, the four-year-old boy was playing nearby in the same room. The innocence of the child was not corrupted by the crime. He had no role in it. Then why should we let the minor boy suffer?” said Odedara, while talking to TOI.
Not getting an answer to the question that kept tormenting him, Odedara then decided to something good for the child. “As part of the society we must do something. It was then that the idea of his adoption occurred to me,” said the officer who soon approached range inspector general of police Sandeep Singh, on the matter.
“Singh told me to speak to the director general of police Ashish Bhatia, who immediately endorsed it and also said that not just him, but police should also take care of his mother,” Odedara said.
Morbi police officially adopted the child and are also going to open a bank account in his name. While they are yet to christen him with a name, the police will take care of all expenses of his up-bringing and schooling till the child turns into a youth. “We will also arrange for the treatment of the boy’s mother,” says Odedara.
At present, the boy and his mother are living at a shelter provided by an NGO.
Earlier, Morbi local crime branch (LCB) had arrested Mahendra Rathod (20) and Haresh Jadav (28) for the crime. While Rathod had raped the woman, Jadav filmed the entire crime being committed inside a dilapidated traffic police chowky in Halvad and later made it viral on social media on October 2. Jadhav later told the police that he saw what was happening inside the chowky from outside and had only shot the video.
Police later traced the brother of the woman, who had to live on the footpaths in Chotila, Wankaner and other towns with her son after her husband deserted her, and made him a complainant in the rape case.
(The victim's identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme court directives on cases related to sexual assault)