13-year-old girl allegedly sexually abused in Kolkata; police refused to file a complaint, says family

A 13-year-old girl was allegedly sexually assaulted by her neighbor on Thursday in Kolkata. The family of the victim has alleged that the police refused to lodge a complaint on the same day, and were compelled to do so after the victim’s teacher intervened, at least 24 hours after the alleged incident. “We reached the police station on Thursday itself. We pleaded with them, my daughter was feeling sick in the police station, yet, they did not take us seriously,” alleged the mother of the minor.

As per the accounts given by the girl’s family and her neighbors, the 13-year-old was purportedly sexually assaulted by her neighbor, who has been identified as Ganesh Das. The 13-year-old was playing badminton on the street, outside her house on Thursday, when the shuttlecock flew into the house of the accused. When the minor went into his courtyard to fetch it back, she was allegedly called inside and then sexually assaulted. She was also allegedly threatened by the accused. “He told me not to talk about it or tell anyone. After I picked up the shuttlecock, he called me close to him and touched me inappropriately. I ran out of his house as soon as he let me go,” said the minor.

“When I came back home on Thursday, I saw a crowd had gathered outside my house. As I stepped inside, all hell broke loose. My daughter complained of discomfort, and her friend narrated the horrors to me. We immediately went to the police to lodge a complaint, but, our complaint was not registered,” said the mother of the minor. The single mother lives with her daughter and her son in a small rented room in South Kolkata. She works as a domestic helper to make ends meet. “I am generally out of home every day for my work, and I come back home late every evening. Now, I feel scared to leave my children behind,” said the mother.

The family and the neighbors have alleged that the police refused to cooperate with them when they asked for assistance. “They finally took our complaint after my daughter’s teacher intervened, a day after the incident happened. Before that, the police did nothing to help us,” complained the victim’s mother.  A formal complaint was registered on Friday, and a video statement of the minor was recorded at the police station, and an investigation is currently underway.

“He is a serial offender. This is not the first time that he has done something like this. Last year, he had sexually abused a little girl and was in jail for three months. However, that did not change him for the better,” alleged an angry neighbor.

According to the neighbors, the accused was then rounded up on Thursday, tied to an electricity pole, and beaten up by the mob. Ganesh Das was then rushed to a hospital. The family of the accused lodged a complaint against the angry mob, and the police have arrested four people in connection to this case of “mob justice”. The family of the victim has stated that the police have not done much to safeguard the rights of the minor, and have allegedly taken the side of the offender, who is now undergoing treatment.