Life has come to a halt for the family of the minor after she was sodomised by a 70-year-old mosque trustee; her father stopped going to work because he 'can't show his face to anybody'
The 13-year-old girl from Govandi, stigmatised after an MMS recording of her being sodomised by a mosque trustee was made public by the accused, has left her studies midway. The accused, 70-year-old Niyaz Ahmad Hasan Raza, circulated the clip of the act in the locality, which they share.
70-year-old Niyaz Ahmad Hasan Raza
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Following the perceived indignity, the victim’s father is too embarrassed to face the world and has stopped going to work. He is the sole breadwinner in the family. MiD DAY had reported on January 11 (‘70-yr-old man sodomises teenager, circulates MMS’) about how Raza, a trustee of Bilal Masjid, was arrested after he lured the minor to a madrassa on the pretext of a poem he had written for her, locked her in, and violated her. The victim had been on her way to school to appear for an exam on the day of the incident. Her parents were later shown a clip of the ghastly act by the locals.
MiD DAY report on January 11
Speaking to MiD DAY, the teenager’s father said, “After looking at the video I felt like killing myself but I had to be strong. I stopped working because I don’t have the courage to show my face to anybody.” He added, “My daughter does not want to go to school anymore. She is ashamed of the incident. The video was circulated in our neighbourhood and she has stopped talking to everyone after that.”
The victim’s elder sister’s marriage has been fixed for April 8. Asked how he would manage the expenses since he has stopped working, the father said, “The household is running on my savings so far. I don’t know how I will manage after that. I had planned to work for as long as I could and collect money for my elder daughter’s marriage. Even the invitations have been sent out. I don’t know what to do.”
‘Hang accused’
He has demanded for the death penalty for the accused. “I have asked the government to hang the accused, Raza, or at least convict him with life imprisonment. If he comes out of jail, we won’t be able to live in the same locality as he stays in.”u00a0While he claims that Raza has raped before, Police Inspector Nitin Desai said, “As per the investigations so far, we haven’t received much evidence or any complaints about a previous such crime by the accused.”u00a0
After the victim’s statement was taken by an NGO, the Shivaji Nagar police arrested Raza, who was booked under several sections of the IPC that deal with sexual assault, unnatural sex and criminal intimidation. The minor has been sent for counselling from the NGO.
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