Sexual assault of minor girl in Darbhanga: NHRC notice to Bihar govt, DGP over 'delayed' police action

New Delhi: The NHRC has sent a notice to the Bihar government and the state's police chief over reports of alleged delayed police action in a case of sexual assault of a minor girl in Darbhanga district, according to officials.

The commission said in a statement on Tuesday that it has sought a detailed report within six weeks.

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken "suo motu cognisance of a media report that in Darbhanga district of Bihar, the police failed to know till the death of a 13-year-old rape victim that her parents and the village panchayat tried to settle the case by asking her tormentor to pay Rs 1.25 lakh to the family," it said.

"Reportedly, after receiving the amount the victim's family sent her to the house of the accused saying nobody would marry her. She stayed with the accused for five days before being thrown out. Subsequently, she was sent by her parents to her elder sister's house where she died 16 days after her sexual assault on March 1," the rights panel said in the statement.

The commission has observed that the content of the media report, if true, amounted to a violation of the victim's human rights.

Accordingly, the NHRC has issued notices to the chief secretary and the director general of police of Bihar, seeking a detailed report.

"It should also include the status of the investigation conducted in the matter. The response from the authorities is expected at the earliest but not later than six weeks.

"According to the media report, on March 19, the victim was sexually assaulted by a man of the same village when she had gone to graze the cattle in the area coming under the jurisdiction of Vazidpur Police Station in Darbhanga district. Reportedly, the victim was not provided with any medical treatment. The police exhumed the body of the victim and sent it for a post-mortem examination," it said.