SOS village inmate denies rape, refuses medical test

Aman Sood

Tribune News Service

Patiala, September 14

A day after the police booked a former inmate of Rajpura’s SOS Children’s Village on the charge of raping a 16-year-old inmate, the latter on Friday retracted her allegations and refused to undergo a medical test. She now claims that her uncle had molested her.

The girl told women cops that her initial statement to the police, was given at the behest of her maternal aunt. The police then presented her in the judicial magistrate’s court, where she claimed that she was not facing any problem in the SOS village. She said her aunt had instigated her to lodge false complaints of rape and sexual harassment on the premises.

“We will investigate the matter thoroughly. The girl’s allegations that her uncle touched her inappropriately would also be probed,” said Rajpura DSP Krishan Kumar Panthe.

A case under Section 376 (rape) of the IPC and various Sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act had been registered on Thursday against the ex-inmate, who is now working in Kansal, near Chandigarh. He had left the shelter home earlier this year.

District Child Protection Officer Harpreet Kaur Sandhu claimed that the five children who had fled the shelter home earlier this week – and were traced later — had been handed over to their guardians. “We will visit the SOS village and record statements. A team of senior officers from my department is also arriving from Chandigarh to ascertain the facts,” she said.

Meanwhile, the SOS village management denied wrongdoings on the premises and claimed that the maternal aunt of two siblings (both inmates) had a history of creating trouble for the shelter home. In February, she had visited the place without prior approval. On being questioned, she had confronted the shelter home workers.

“In the present case, the aunt is alleging abuse and ill-treatment. She insists on visiting the children regularly, disturbing their schedule and not letting them settle down in the SOS village,” the management claimed.

Girl retracts allegations 

• The girl told women cops that her initial statement to the police, was given at the behest of her maternal aunt 
• The police then presented her in the judicial magistrate's court, where she claimed that she was not facing any problem in the SOS village
• She said her aunt had instigated her to lodge false complaints of rape and sexual harassment on the premises