In a heart-shattering rape case from Ludhiana, a seven-year-old girl, suffering from Down’s syndrome, was allegedly sexually assaulted by her own brother, also a minor. While on one side, the family tried to put the blame on her school administration, the quick thinking and problem-solving instinct of the Ludhiana Police cracked the case within hours and came to know about the real identity of the culprit.
It was a rare display of humane face by the police force and ADCP Pragya Jain, who took care of the child selflessly and brought justice to her agony.
In an exclusive conversation with Indian Masterminds, IPS officer Ms. Pragya Jain talked about the girl’s ordeal and how Ludhiana Police Force joined hands to ease her pain.
HEART SHATTERING CASE
On February 10th, 2021, the said case hit the headlines. When the mother of the seven-year-old rushed her to the local hospital in a bad state, she alleged that she had been raped at the school, where she was a kindergarten student.
However, while investigating further into the case, the police investigations laid hands on the CCTV cameras installed on the way to and from the family’s home and school. After scanning through multiple CCTV footages, retrieved from the narrow lanes of the route, the police nailed the lie of the victim’s mother- because the footage showed the girl coming hale and hearty from school to her home with her mother on the day of the incident.
On the other hand, another video footage captured from the CCTVs revealed that the woman was carrying the child in her lap from home to hospital after the incident. Realizing that the mother’s story seemed a little fishy, the investigation officers took a cue from the clenching evidence in hand and interacted with the minor child about the incident. The girl’s statement validated the police theory. The police arrested the victim’s teenaged brother immediately after the statement.
“When something of this sort happens in a family, it’s very difficult for the parents to come to terms with reality and accept it. I give special credits to the Police Commissioner, Mr. Rakesh Agarwal and Joint CP, Mr. Deepak Parekh, through whose guidance and support, we were able to rule out the culprit and solve the case” said Ms. Jain.
CHILD’S AID
The child was given proper care by the hospital and police authorities. Ms. Jain looked after all her needs and provided her with all the essentials. The ADCP, Special Branch and Community Affairs, who also holds a degree in the Bachelor of Homoeopathic Medicine and Surgery, remained awake throughout the first night when the rape survivor could not sleep in the hospital.
“We are providing counseling to the victim girl with the help of the Child Welfare Committee and Social and Child Welfare Department. She is okay now, and has been handed over to her parents,” Ms. Jain told Indian Masterminds.
As per the provisions of the Juvenile Justice Act, the brother was presented before the juvenile justice board and has been sent to a child observation home.
DEVASTATED FAMILY
The parents of the children are migrant laborers who toil hard day and night to make ends meet. Ms. Jain and the Ludhiana Police Force empathize with them and refuse to put any kind of blame on the family.
“We need to introspect as a society and understand the cultural connotations and unlimited exposure to certain objectionable things that might cause such ordeals. We shouldn’t blame it entirely on the parents” says Ms. Jain.
ATTACK ON THE PERSONNEL
Accepting that someone from their own family did such a heinous crime can be quite difficult for people. Not believing the police theory, the victim’s family members and their neighbors had resorted to protest and even went to the extent of pelting stones and attacking the cops on duty, alleging that the minor boy was “falsely implicated”
Ms. Jain led a police team to pacify the protesters by telling them that the child was recovering well and was being given the best possible medical aid and services at the hospital.
TEAM EFFORT OF THE FORCE
The entire Ludhiana Police Force, along with Child Welfare Committee and Social Welfare Department came together to provide justice and relief to the minor girl. The case brought out the humane face of the Punjab Police fraternity as the group of 60 personnel, from ADCP to constables toiled and worked hard in solving it.
