Mumbai: Raped by teacher, brave girl juggles police apathy and SSC exams

As if her ordeal wasnrsquot traumatising enough a 16yearold rape survivor who lives in Jogeshwari with her parents was allegedly called multiple times to the Nalasopara police station where an FIR is registered that too when she is taking the SSC exam Not only is the girl frightened her mother has alleged that the arrested accusedrsquos relatives who stay in Nalasopara have been pressuring her to withdraw the caseTalking to midday her mother said that it is not feasible for her to travel all the way from Jogeshwari to Nalasopara when she needs to focus on the exam Her mother also said she fears going to Nalasopara because the accusedrsquos relatives who stay there have been pressuring her to withdraw the caseThe survivor was allegedly raped by her school teacher Sanjay Muralidhar Ghughe who allegedly spiked her glass of drinking water on March 14 when she visited his house at Nalasopara for tuitions ldquoAfter I reached his house I asked for a glass of drinking water A few minutes after drinking water I fell unconscious and when I woke up I had abdominal pain and there was vaginal injuryrdquo recalled the survivorThe girls mother has alleged the Nalasopara police kept calling her when she is in the middle of the SSC exam PicHanif PatelWhen the survivor reached home late that day her mother questioned her about it When the girl kept quiet and her mother saw a cellphone with her she asked her about it The cellphone the girl said had been a gift to her from a friend in their hometown Her mother took the cellphone and began to inspect it ldquoHer father and I saw a teacher had sent her vulgar messages When I asked her about it she did not tell us anythingrdquo the mother told middayldquoWe then went to Jogeshwari police station My daughter narrated her ordeal to Jogeshwari police but they todl us to visit Vanrai police station to register an FIR against Ghugherdquo the mother said The Vanrai cops told the parents that as their daughter was raped in Nalasopara the FIR couldnrsquot be registered there The devastated mother reached Nalasopara police with the survivor and an FIR was registered against Ghughe under relevant sections of IPC and POCSO Act late on March 16 and the accused was arrestedAlso Read Mumbai Crime Nalasopara man sets livein partner on fireMore troubleldquoEvery day since then the Nalasopara police kept calling us to record her statement and conduct her medical test We live in Jogeshwari and it is not feasible for us to go to Nalasopara as my whole day gets wasted to wait for the cops to complete their proceduresrdquo said the mother who works as a house helpldquoCanrsquot a police officer visit Jogeshwari and complete everything there My daughter is already traumatised and needs to concentrate on the SSC exam Traveling everyday to Nalasopara from Jogeshwari is a herculean task for us She is already frightened after the horrible incidentrdquo she added The girlrsquos statement was finally recorded on and the medical test done on March 18The girlrsquos mother further added that the cops also demanded money to take them to a hospital for the medical tests of the survivor ldquoThe cops told me that I must bear the travel cost I was also told to purchase test kits gloves and other medical kits so that the tests could be done at the government hospital I paid but later I complained about this to Senior Inspector Vilas Supe of Nalasopara police station and my money was reimbursedrdquo she saidThe girlrsquos mother said she feels unsafe to visit Nalasopara because the relatives of the teacher have been mounting pressure on her to withdraw the complaint against him She claimed they also offered her money but she refuseSenior lawyer speakA senior counsel at the Supreme Court Abha Singh said ldquoAs per procedure the cops should go to the rape survivorrsquos place to record her statement instead of asking her to visit Nalasopara from Jogeshwari If the girl is not comfortable giving her statement to police the investigating officer must take the help of an NGO to record her it The medical test must be conducted at government hospitals or by a registered medical practitioner but the convenience of a rape survivor must be looked intordquo When midday discussed the matter with a senior officer at Mira Bhayandar Vasai Virar MBVV police he said ldquoI will look into the matter and conduct departmental enquiry to know who demanded money from the survivorrsquos mother The convenience of a rape survivor is very important I will sensitise the teamrdquoMarch 14When the 16yearold was allegedly raped by her teacher