A special investigation team is probing the alleged sexual abuse of a Dalit girl in a district in Kerala. A total of 44 people have been arrested so far in connection to the assault, according to a senior police officer on Tuesday.
DIG S Ajitha Beegum is in charge of the investigation in which 35 FIRS have been registered regarding the alleged sexual assault of the girl. Out of the 59 accused mentioned in the case, 44 have been arrested.
“We are searching for the locations. They will be arrested soon. A full-proof and scientific investigation will be carried out by the SIT. We will not spare any of the accused. There will be no compromise. We will bring all of them before the law.” told the police official.
First Sexual Abuse When 13-Yrs-old
The girl survived her first sexual assault when she was studying in class 12th. After getting acquainted with a youth through Instagram, the girl was taken to a rubber plantation in Ranni, where she was raped by the youth and three of his known. Several of the other accused met the girl at a private bus stand in Pathanamthitta. From there, she was taken to various other locations by vehicles and was subjected to abuse. The girl was gang raped on at least five different occasions, including an incident inside a car and also at Pathanamthitta General Hospital in January 2024.
Now 18 years old, the girl alleged that she has been sexually abused by 62 individuals to date, which started when she was 13 years old. The matter could only come to light during her counselling conducted by the Child Welfare Committee. It was the survivor’s teacher at her educational institution who informed the panel about some noticeable changes in the girl’s behaviour.
DIG Ajitha Beegam, who is part of the investigation, says that more officers will be included in the SIT team after the Sabarimala pilgrimage season is over. Currently, over 30 police officers, including women and officers of various ranks and stations are investigating the case.
