Bareilly: Abducted Dalit girl rescued three weeks ago, but her statement not yet recorded

On April 1, the teenager’s father had lodged a complaint against the four accused, who are also from the Dalit community, at the Bithri Chainpur station.

Three weeks after rescuing a 17-year-old Dalit girl who had allegedly been abducted by a young man from her neighbourhood and three others, the Bareilly police have yet to record her statement before a magistrate.

The police on Friday claimed the process got delayed because of the panchayat polls that concluded on Thursday, and the Covid-19 crisis. They have kept the girl at the Mahila (women’s) police station under the watch of a woman police constable.

“There are several issues due to which the statement of the girl could not be recorded before a magistrate so far. She will be sent for the recording of the statement,” said Bareilly Superintendent of Police Rohit Singh Sajwan.

On April 1, the teenager’s father had lodged a complaint against the four accused, who are also from the Dalit community, at the Bithri Chainpur station. The police registered an FIR based on it, and 10 days later they found the girl and got her medical examination done.

Sub-Inspector Dileep Kumar, the investigating officer in the case, said the police were making every effort to get the girl’s statement recorded. “I was on election duty in Shahjahanpur and returned to Bareilly yesterday. On Friday, we took the girl to court to get her statement recorded under 164 CrPC but due to some reasons, it could not be done. A few times the court was also not available,” he added.

Kumar said he also tried to approach the chairperson of the Children’s Welfare Committee “to seek direction”. “But I have come to know that he is not well and his son is tested Covid positive,” he added.

The police refused to share the girl’s medical report, and are conducting raids to trace the accused.

Meanwhile, the girl’s father, who is a labourer, said he was making rounds of the police station to know when he would receive his daughter’s custody.

“We are regularly visiting the police station but no policeman is giving us any satisfactory reply. We daily visit the police station with food for her. My daughter is getting depressed while staying at the station,” he added.

 

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