Vasco rape victim still scared of going alone anywhere: Father

Even eight months after she was allegedly raped inside her school, the seven-year-old girl from the port town of Vasco is still scared of going alone anywhere, as the culprit is yet to be arrested, her father said today.

The victim's father told PTI that his traumatised daughter is being counselled by one of the experts in the state and that she is gradually showing signs of improvement.
"I am waiting for the culprit to be arrested and punished. She is afraid of the culprit and she fears going to anywhere alone," he said.

The minor girl was raped inside her school toilet on January 14 this year.

After the Crime Branch of Goa Police failed to arrest the culprit, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar recently announced that the case would be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

According to the victim's parents, before the incident, the girl always used to get excellent grades in the school.

"But now she has started faring poorly. The teachers had called me asking what has happened to her," he said.

The girl has been shifted from the school where she was sexually abused to another school in the same town.

"She is under tremendous psychological pressure," he said.

Parents say that they have found some clinching evidence, which can lead the investigating agencies towards the accused.

"But right now I don't know who is investigating the case. I spoke to Crime Branch inspector Sunita Sawant and she told me that the CBI is yet to take over the case officially," he said.

In the past, the victim's parents had claimed that some people were trying to protect the culprit, who had raped their minor daughter as "the criminal was very influential."

Defending the state police on this issue, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar has said on the floor of the House that "police were doing enough to crack the case, but they have no luck."