Parents ‘betray’ rape victim

Subhro Maitra TNN Malda: Raped for years, nearly killed in a suicide bid, and betrayed by her parents, a higher secondary examinee in Malda is fighting back to get her tormentor — a next-door neighbour — behind bars. And in spite of the trauma, she is determined to complete her HS exams as well. On Wednesday, the 18-year-old ran to the police station from the exam hall to file a complaint against Narayan Mandal, a businessman. The accused was arrested within hours but the girl refuses to go back home, saying she doesn’t trust her parents. “Mandal used to give money to my parents. I repeatedly pleaded with them to stop him but they did not pay any heed,” she said. The girl has been at English Bazaar police station for two days and nights now. Her parents visited the police station on Thursday — but not to see their daughter. Instead, they reportedly showed sympathy to Mandal and spent a long time with him. It was this desperation — after “years of torture” — that drove her to attempt suicide on March 30. She took a handful of sleeping pills, and barely survived after being taken to hospital. But her parents hardly visited her there. On April 1, she went from hospital directly to the exam hall to write her HS paper, and from there to the police station. The officers, horrified by her story, nabbed Mandal and took the girl for medical tests. The lab report has confirmed sexual assault, say sources. With her parents virtually abandoning her, she is seeking refuge with the administration. “Where shall I go? I’ve no place at my home. How can I complete my exams?” she wondered. The traumatized girl is pleading for any government welfare home to take her in till her examinations are over. But that won’t be easy. “Unfortunately, we cannot arrange to put her in a home because she isn’t a minor,” said subdivisional officer Prakash Pal. Additional SP Kalyan Mukherjee was also helpless. “Only the court can arrange for her rehabilitation now,” he said.