Stepfather didn’t rape girl,kin tell cops

According to a complaint filed by social workers with the Mangrol Police Station,the girl was raped by her stepfather Nathulal Parmar,who later allegedly sold her off to touts in Mehmdabad of Kheda district.

But village sarpanch Arvind Gamit,who was questioned by Mangrol police,told them that the complainant girl was mentally unstable and was making false allegations.

Police sources said Nathulal runs a tea stall in the neighbouring Nani Naroli village in Mangrol taluka. Nathulal himself told the police he had not seen the girl for the past four years that he has been living separately. The girl has two brothers,Ashish and Amit,and they all stay with her grandfather Mohan. Ashish works in agricultural fields while Amit recently cleared his Class X board exams.

Amit told The Indian Express,“My sister often ran away from the house and police teams from Vyara,Navsari and Surat police would drop her back. We are fed up. We even tie her hands and legs but she manages to escape sometimes. We have complained to our mother but she doesn’t want to take the responsibility. Our stepfather has never kept relations with us. Our sister’s statements that she was sold off by him to touts are baseless.”

Mohan (75) too told the same story. “She once alleged that I tried to sell her off. She left the house a year ago. Since it has become a habit with her,we did not lodge any police complaint,” he said.

DySP (SC/ST cell) of Surat,A M Mansuri,said,“We have questioned her stepfather and he has denied the allegations. We also spoke to the villagers of Dungri,who said the girl has a history of running away from home. We are waiting for the girl to get fine after which we will question her again. We have found her statements to be contradictory.”

Meanwhile,social workers from Nari Suraksha Kendra of Bharuch,who brought the girl to the SSG Hospital in Vadodara,have sought the intervention of the Social Defence Department to ensure that the girl’s identity is not disclosed.

Chaya Bhatt,who filed the FIR at the Mangrol Police Station on Wednesday,said they were worried that the vigour with which the police and media are pursuing the matter with the girl might cause more damage.

However,DySP Mansuri blamed the social workers for the delay in informing the police. “We are surprised why the complaint was not filed by Nari Suraksha Kendra of Bharuch on May 25 itself,when they spotted the girl.”

In her statement to the police,the girl reportedly alleged she was sexually exploited by the touts and there could be 35-odd girls trapped in a slum area of Mehmdabad.