'Take money, hit accused with slipper', panchayat tells girl to settle rape case in UP's Maharajganj

GORAKHPUR: In a bizarre decision, a village panchayat in Maharajganj district recently asked a minor girl to settle her rape case for Rs 50,000 and five slipper slaps to the accused. However, the girl’s family declined to accept the decision and contacted the police, after which a case of molestation was filed.
When the panchayat’s decision went viral on social media, SP Maharajganj on Tuesday directed the police to record the girl’s statement under section 164 of CrPc and get her medically examined.
Reports said that on June 23, the girl’s mother, a resident of a locality under Kothibhar police station jurisdiction, made a complaint with the village panchayat that their minor daughter was raped by a village youth. Acting on the complaint, the panchayat asked the girl to take Rs 50,000 from the accused and slap him five times with a slipper in front of the panchayat members to settle the issue.
However, the girl’s family refused to accept the decision and contacted the Kothibhari police on June 24. On the family’s complaint, an FIR was lodged under IPC section of molestation and POCSO Act against the accused.
The family later made the panchayat decision viral on social media, following which Maharajganj SP Pradeep Gupta on Tuesday directed the police to get the girl medically examined and also record her statement under Section 164 of CrPC.
“If rape is reported in the medical test, a case will be registered under the related sections and action will be taken accordingly,” Gupta told TOI on Tuesday.
(The victim's identity has not been revealed to protect her privacy as per Supreme Court directives on cases related to sexual assault)