PATNA: Shockingly, a village panchayat in Bihar’s Saharsa district had asked the family members of a 14-year rape survivor belonging to the Scheduled Caste to settle the matter by receiving Rs 1.11 lakh as compensation from the accused. The issue came to light after the news reached the superintendent of police, Saharsa, Himanshu Kumar on Wednesday after the accused’s family refused to pay the ‘compensation’ fixed by the panchayat for the girl’s marriage. Taking serious note of the incident, SP asked the Station House Officer (SHO) of Mahishi police station to lodge a formal complaint and initiate action against the accused. The victim’s mother told the police that the incident took place on the night of January 5 when her minor daughter had gone to a nearby field to attend nature’s call.Taking advantage of the situation, the 21-year-old accused held her captive, took her to a house and raped her. When searched for, she was found in the house where the tormentor allegedly committed the crime. She was taken back to her home late in the night and the next morning the matter was brought to the notice of the panchayat. The accused is also a native of the same village to which the rape victim belongs to. The panchayat members held a meeting and decided to pay Rs.1.11 lakh as compensation to the victim’s family. The accused confessed to the crime and agreed to pay the compensation fixed by the panchayat. A month passed by, but nothing happened on this front.In her complaint to the police, the girl’s mother said that she and her relatives were abused and misbehaved when they visited the accused Ratan Mukhiya’s house for compensation.The accused’s family refused to abide by the panchayat’s directives and also threatened to sue in a false case.Finding no help from the panchayat, she decided to report the matter to the SP, who took serious note of the incident. “Yes, the victim’s mother turned up to my office and submitted a written complaint, which has been forwarded to the SHO concerned for necessary action,” he told this reporter over the phone on Wednesday. When contacted, the SHO of Mahishi police station Amarnath said that the girl’s statement had been recorded and she would be sent for medical examination.He revealed that five persons have been named as accused in the complaint. The offender Ratan Mukhiya, who is a neighbour of the victim, absconded after the incident. “We will also investigate whether the panchayat had issued any directive to the accused to settle the matter,” the SHO added. In another incident, a 50-year-old man was arrested in Darbhanga district for raping a six-year-old girl in Darbhanga district. SP, Rural, Alok said that the accused Mahakant Paswan has been sent to jail. The victim has been admitted to the Darbhanga Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) as her condition is stated to be serious.
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