Rape victim resisted assault, says uncle

New Delhi, April 27 (IANS) The "brave" six-year-old girl undergoing treatment at AIIMS after being allegedly raped had apparently resisted the assault, which may be the reason for her serious throat injuries, her uncle said Saturday.

"When we found the girl, she had held herself steadfast with the toilet wall. She had her throat slit. It clearly appeared that she had resisted the assault," girl's uncle, Jeetinder told IANS.

The doctors treating the minor girl said that due to a sharp cut on her neck, which has been operated, she is not able to swallow her food.

The police are suspecting that the girl may have been raped, but the doctors have yet not confirmed.

"There is severe damage to the anal canal. We are waiting for medical reports to confirm whether it was a rape, as she suffered severe rectal-vaginal injuries. Though there is evidence of penetration, we don't know whether it was a foreign object," said Biplab Mishra, trauma surgeon at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Trauma Centre.

According to the doctors, she is still under intensive care though her condition is stable.

"She is stable right now, and she is still in the ICU at the AIIMS Trauma Centre. She has coped well with life-saving surgery, performed yesterday (Friday), which lasted nearly three hours," the doctor said.

A passer-by had spotted the six-year-old minor lying in an unconscious state near a public toilet in Badarpur area of south Delhi Friday afternoon, who later informed the police.

"When the girl's cousin, who first got to know about the news went to see her, he found a deep injury on her neck. She was completely naked," the victim's uncle said.

The girl was taken to a nearby medical store, from where she was shifted to All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) Trauma Centre, Jeetinder said.

The victim had suffered critical injuries and had to undergo a three-hour-long surgery to save her life, Friday night. Doctors on Saturday said the girl is stable now.

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On Satuday, the family of the victim held a protest on the Mehrauli-Badarpur Road. They also blocked the traffic for about an hour and demanded immediate action from the administration.

The minor's father is a balloon-seller. The family, hailing from Uttar Pradesh, had been living in a slum cluster near National Thermal Power Corporation plant in Badarpur for the past 25 years. The victim girl has seven other siblings.