Patna, June 7: A 14-year-old girl in Jehanabad, 60km south of Patna, showed exemplary courage in preventing her tormentors from outraging her modesty on Wednesday evening.
The incident not only called for an applause from people living near her house but also an assurance from Jehanabad superintendent of police (SP) Harpreet Kaur of strong recommendation for the National Bravery Award for Indian Children.
The shocking incident came to the fore at Tajariana village under Parasbigha police station on Wednesday itself. Finding the girl alone, one Shailendra Yadav (35), along with his two accomplices, allegedly entered her house and tried to outrage her modesty at gunpoint.
The tormentors, who were carrying country-made pistols, fired at the victim when she resisted.
Sources said Shailendra, who was under the influence of liquor, made another attempt to kill the girl, a Class VI student of a government school. She, however, survived the attack.
The girl fought with the attackers and finally succeeded in chasing them away. In the process, she suffered serious injuries.
On hearing the alarm raised by the victim after the criminals escaped, her mother and sister-in-law rushed to the spot.
The victim was later admitted to a primary health centre for treatment. The news about the bravery shown by the teenager spread like wildfire in the area.
Later, her parents reported the matter to the Parasbigha police station and a formal complaint was lodged against Shailendra, a resident of Dehri village, and his two associates.
They have been charged under sections 376 (rape) and 511 (punishment for attempting to commit offence) of the IPC and also the arms act.
The victim’s family told the police that they had approached the panchayat and sought its intervention when Shailendra had earlier attempted to molest her a few months back.
The matter was settled after the intervention of the panchayat and the alleged tormentor was asked to stop creating nuisance, sources said.
Kaur told The Telegraph that an FIR has been lodged on the basis of the statement of the girl’s parents. “We have decided to reward her for showing exemplary courage. We will also recommend her name for the bravery award,” she added.
Parasbigha station house officer (SHO) Samrat Singh said Shailendra had criminal antecedents and was earlier booked under Section 110 of the CrPC.
“Raids were conducted to arrest him but he is absconding since the incident,” he said.
The SHO added that the victim told the police that Shailendra used to harass her while going to school. However, the family did not report the matter to the police for reasons best known to them.
The SP said she would personally visit the girl’s house on Friday. “Instead of calling her to my office, I decided to call on her at her residence and listen to her trauma. Her bravery will encourage other girls to fight against their tormentors,” Kaur added.
Police sources said Shailendra was associated with CPI-ML (Liberation). “The entire village is dominated by a particular caste. Out of 100 families, only four belong to the victim’s caste (Other Backward Class),” said a cop posted at Parasbigha police station.
The officer added that the village is considered to be a CPI-ML (Liberation) stronghold.
