New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the Uttar Pradesh government to explain why a 10-year-old rape victim was jailed when she reported the crime.
The apex court, which took suo moto congnisance of media reports, has instructed the state administration to file the report by Monday.
The state government has already suspended two women constables and transferred two sub-inspectors, including the officer in charge of the concerned police station, which is in the Bulandshahr district of western Uttar Pradesh.
The incident came to light when a freelance television journalist came to know of it. He managed to film the 10-year-old, who was allegedly raped by her 24-year-old neighbour, behind the bars at the police station. She was later released after the footage was shown to senior police officers.
Both the victim and her mother spent the night behind bars after filing a first information report (FIR) on Sunday night.
The police, who initially blamed the incident on “confusion”, have since arrested the accused who is said to be a local don.
The victim who is from Meerpur village was found lying unconscious in a field by her parents where she was dumped after the sexual assault on Sunday night.
The incident has seen opponents of the Samajwadi Party-led Uttar Pradesh government blast the local administration.
Uttar Pradesh state Congress party unit president Rita Bahuguna termed the incident as shameful.
Incidentally, the Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav was at the forefront of opposition to some of the strict provisions in the new anti-rape law passed recently by the government, leading to its watering down.
