Nagpur Lawyer and Father Arrested for Alleged Rape of Disabled 8-Year-Old Daughter
In a shocking case from Nagpur, a 41-year-old legal practitioner was arrested on Thursday for allegedly raping his physically-challenged eight-year-old daughter over an extended period. His 71-year-old father was also made a co-accused for attempting to suppress the matter and threatening the girl's mother, who is the complainant in the case.
Details of the Alleged Abuse
The girl was reportedly abused between January 5 and December of last year. According to the FIR lodged at the Mankapur police station, the father is accused of sexually exploiting his daughter, showing her pornographic videos on a mobile phone, and exposing himself indecently during baths at their residence. Senior inspector Haresh Kalsekar of Mankapur police station stated, "We registered the FIR as per the version of the complainant and also the minor survivor."
Family Threats and Suppression Attempts
When the complainant confronted the accused about the sexual exploitation of her daughter, he allegedly assaulted her. Upon raising the issue with her father-in-law, he reportedly dismissed it, saying the accused could do anything with his daughter, and threatened to make the complainant and her daughter "disappear" if they spoke out about the abuse. Police noted that the grandfather also assaulted the survivor's mother when she tried to raise a red flag within the family.
Delayed Complaint and Survivor's Courage
The mother delayed filing the complaint, hoping her resistance would stop the abuse, but her husband was unrelenting. Senior PI Kalsekar added, "Despite suffering from cerebral palsy, the survivor too opened up about her plight." This led to the registration of a rape case under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act, 2012.
Legal Charges and Penalties
The case includes specific sections of the Pocso Act:
- Section 4: Aggravated penetrative sexual assault
- Section 6: Enhanced penalties for certain offences
- Section 8: Sexual harassment
- Section 12: Related offences against minors
These sections cover aggravated penetrative sexual assault, sexual harassment, and related offences against minors, with enhanced penalties due to the survivor's physical disability. The arrests highlight the severe nature of the allegations and the legal consequences under Indian law.
