– Photo : Amar Ujala
Expansion
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken seriously the Panchayat’s order to give Rs. 5000 to a minor girl who was a victim of sexual harassment in Singhawali Ahir area of Baghpat to get her abortion done. On the basis of media reports, the Commission has issued a notice to the Chief Secretary and DGP to investigate the matter and has sought a detailed report on the entire matter within a week.
According to the Commission, media reports claimed that the Panchayat asked the mother of the minor to get her daughter aborted by taking Rs. 5,000 from her abusers. The victim’s family was also threatened with death if they did not comply with the order. The Commission found that the contents of the media report, if true, constitute a serious violation of the human rights of the victim. It is indeed painful that the Gram Panchayat, instead of protecting the minor girl, committed an illegal act in connivance with miscreants from a well-off section of the society.
The Commission has sought information from the Chief Secretary and DGP in the report about the status of the FIR and the action taken against the culprits as well as the health condition of the victim and the compensation given to her. Let us tell you that the victim’s family had complained to the police that a person from her village had forcefully entered the house and raped her in December 2023.
Her mother, brother and sister were threatened with death if she complained. The victim was then raped multiple times, resulting in her becoming pregnant. When the victim’s family attempted to lodge a complaint with the police, they were stopped and forced to attend a panchayat.
