Minor brutally raped in Delhi; DCW chief to send notice to police

A 13-year-old mentally challenged girl is under treatment at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) for the past week for critical injuries she received after a sexual assault by a neighbour, police said on Wednesday. The accused has been arrested.

Police was informed of the rape on May 18 morning and found the girl lying in an unconscious condition in south Delhi's Pul Prahladpur area. She had gone missing from her aunt's home in Badarpur village in south Delhi the day before.

"The girl was admitted to AIIMS. Her condition after a week is now stable," Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mandeep Singh Randhawa, told IANS.

On coming to know of the incident, Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal said on Wednesday that she will send a notice to Delhi Police as they failed to inform her and the commission even a week after the incident.

"It is very shocking that Delhi Police did not inform DCW despite their responsibility to share such information with us. I will send a notice to Delhi Police on why they did not inform the commission about the incident," Maliwal told IANS.

Another police officer, on condition of anonymity, told IANS that the girl has received cut marks on her back, neck and private parts.

A case under sections 376 (rape) and 363 (kidnapping) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) has been registered at Pul Prahladpur police station, near Badarpur.

The officer said the accused, who also resides in Badarpur village, was arrested today (Wednesday).

"The accused lured the girl on pretext of offering her something and took her to Pul Prahladpur area where he raped her at a secluded place and fled from the spot," the officer said.

The officer said that relatives of the girl, who is an orphan, made a complaint to police after she was found in a secluded road side area.

The DCW chief said she met the girl at AIIMS on Wednesday.

"The girl has critical injuries and had undergone a major surgery. Doctors said that it would take around four months for her complete recovery. She would be discharged within four-five days but she needs a proper diet and care."

Maliwal also demanded that the Central government set up a high level committee to handle rape cases in the capital. She urged union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to "come together for the safety of Delhi's women".

"I demand that the central government create a high level committee. I think that there would be no improvement in Delhi's condition until Rajnath Singh and Arvind Kejriwal come together at least twice a month on the issue of women's safety. I think this is needed because Delhi Police comes under the Central government and other things fall under the Delhi government," she added.

--IANS

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