On September 18, an underage boy was gang raped by his cousin and three of his friends in the Seelampur area of North-east Delhi.
As per reports, the victim is said to be just 12 years old. He was beaten with rods, sticks and a rod was inserted in his private parts. The incident came to light after the authorities at the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan (LNJP) Hospital informed the police that on September 22 that a minor boy was admitted for physical assault.
So far, the Delhi police have nabbed two of the accused. A case was lodged under Sections 34 and 377 (unnatural sex) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and relevant provisions of the Prevention of Child Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. One of them was also produced before the Juvenile Justice Board.
According to DCP (Northeast Delhi) Sanjay Kumar Sain, the family refused to give a statement until Saturday (September 24) although the Investigative Officer (IO) contacted them on a regular basis.
He added, “Immediately, a police team reached the hospital and met the parents of the child, but they refused to give any statement.” Thereafter, the police arranged for counselling sessions for the victim and his mother.
DCP Sain informed, “On extensive counselling, the mother of the child disclosed that three days back i.e. on September 18 her son was physically assaulted and sodomized by his three friends.”
12 साल के लड़के से बलात्कार के मामले में दिल्ली पुलिस को नोटिस जारी किया है. सभी आरोपी जल्द से जल्द गिरफ्तार हों और बच्चे को न्याय मिले. pic.twitter.com/352eWsL1pD
— Swati Maliwal (@SwatiJaiHind) September 25, 2022
Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) Chairperson Swati Maliwal has taken cognisance of the matter. “The boy is presently admitted in hospital in a very critical condition. This is a very serious matter.,” she said in a notice.
She sought a copy of the First Information Report (FIR), details of the accused arrested in the case and a report on the course of action so far. Maliwal has asked the Station House Officer (SHO) of Seelampur police station to submit the required information by Wednesday (September 28, 2022).
Reportedly, the victim and the accused are from the same community. It must be mentioned that Seelampur has been the hotbed of Islamist violence since the anti-Hindu riots of 2020.
