13-yr-old raped by father in Delhi

NEW DELHI: A 13-year-old girl has alleged that she was being repeatedly raped by her father for the past three years.

The girl, a resident of Jakhira in north Delhi, said that her father would get drunk and commit the crime.

The girl, who studies in class VIII in a government school, has also said in her statement that she had contemplated running away from the house to avoid the "humiliation".

Based on the victim's statement, police arrested her father, Tej Bahadur (47), on Tuesday. A case of rape has been registered at the Sarai Rohilla police station.

"The accused - father of two boys and three girls - might have been involved in physically abusing his other children. While the youngest daughter, aged 9 years, has testified seeing her father abusing her 13-year-old sister, the eldest (21) had run away from her residence some time back.

The girl had recently gone to visit her aunt at Paschim Vihar and it was here that she finally narrated what had been happening for the past three years.

The aunt approached us and a medical test of the victim confirmed rape. We arrested the accused the next day,'' said a senior investigating officer at Sarai Rohilla police station.

The cops said the victim was the second among three sisters and was helping the father run the house.

"Her mother died due to an illness just after her younger sister's birth. Over time, the father took to alcohol and became abusive.

We are mulling slapping harsher charges against the accused based on investigations,'' said the officer.

Of the 489 cases of rape reported in 2010, 52 of the accused were relatives, 65 were friends, 222 were neighbours and 130 were other known persons.

In 96% of rape cases known persons were involved. Just like in this case - where the accused had not studied beyond class XII - 87% of accused were illiterate or school/high school dropouts.