The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued a show-cause notice to the State Government asking its Chief Secretary to respond within six weeks as to why monetary relief of Rs 3 lakh be not recommended and paid to a 10-year-old tribal schoolgirl of Balangir, who was raped in a school hostel by a school peon.
Adjudicating a complaint filed by human rights activist and advocate Prabir Kumar Das, the commission has observed that basing on reports of Balangir district Collector and the District Welfare Officer, it has been prima facie established that the State authorities had failed to protect the child in their custody and, therefore, the victim is entitled to get a monetary relief under Section 18 of the Protection of Human Rights Act-1993.
Das in his complaint has maintained that the victim was a Class IV student of a residential school at Kushumal under the Saintala police station of the district run by the ST and SC Development Department. “Around 10 pm on the night of October 29, 2013, a school peon in an inebriated condition forced his entry into the school hostel and raped the tribal girl, who was only nine-years old then,” Das has said, stating that the girl lost her consciousness.
A police complaint was made by the victim’s brother-in-law, following which the accused was arrested three days after the incident under Sections 376 and 511 of IPC and Section 10 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act. However, demanding an independent inquiry and seeking monetary relief to the victim, Das approached the NHRC in November 2013.