Take Rs 50k and abort: Panchayat to rape victim

When a 16-year-old rape victim in a Bihar village approached the panchayat for justice, she was told to take a sum of Rs 50,000 and undergo abortion, even though she was seven months pregnant.

“The victim and her mother informed me that four brothers of her village raped her seven months ago and got pregnant because of it,” police officer Sweta Gupta said over the phone from Kishanganj, around 400 km from here.

Seeking justice

“When she approached the village panchayat seeking justice and punishment against the accused, panchayat members ordered her to take Rs 50,000 for an abortion, but she refused,” Gupta added.

It was the panchayat of village Packola Palashmani in Kishanganj district that gave the order. The 16-year-old victim is the daughter of a migrant labourer who works in Rajasthan to support a family of six. The victim’s mother works as a daily wage labourer in an agriculture field. Gupta said an FIR has been lodged and a probe has begun. “We are trying to arrest the accused and take action against the panchayat member,” she said.