PIONEER NEWS SERVICE | Dehradun
A deeply disturbing case of child abuse has surfaced in Haridwar, where police arrested a woman, her lover and her friend for allegedly gangraping the woman’s 13-year-old daughter. The mother, a former office-bearer of the BJP Mahila Morcha, is accused of actively facilitating and normalising this sexual abuse. According to Haridwar senior superintendent of police Pramendra Dobhal, the woman had been living apart from her husband following a domestic dispute. While their son remained with the father, the daughter stayed with the mother, who was in a live-in relationship with her partner, identified as Sumit Patwal. The matter came to light when the minor visited her father recently. Concerned by her unusual silence and low spirits, the father gently questioned her, leading the girl to reveal the harrowing details of the sexual assaults. The father took her to Ranipur police station on Tuesday evening to register a formal complaint. Dobhal informed that as per the complaint, one of the first gangrapes occurred in January this year, when the mother took the girl on an outing accompanied by Patwal and another man, Shubham. The group reportedly drove towards the BHEL stadium area, where, after allegedly consuming alcohol, the two men raped the girl, reportedly with the mother’s knowledge and approval. He said that further investigations revealed a pattern of repeated sexual abuse. The girl was allegedly gangraped multiple times at hotels in Agra, Vrindavan and Haridwar. In each instance, she was reportedly given alcohol and threatened with death if she told anyone about it to anyone. The child also claimed that her mother told her such acts were quite normal and was reportedly present during her sexual assault. The SSP said that medical reports have confirmed sexual assault. He informed that the mother and her lover Sumit were arrested on Wednesday following preliminary evidence and the child’s testimony and the third accused, Shubham, was arrested on Thursday. The SSP said that the investigation is ongoing and all crucial evidence is being gathered in the case.
