Eighteen people, in the age group of 18 to 66, who were arrested for raping and torturing an 11-year-old girl for the last six months, were thrashed by a group of lawyers when they were produced in a court in Chennai on Tuesday.
Though there was a heavy posse of policemen guarding the accused, the heart-rending story of the hearing impaired girl, which was carried in the local Press, had upset the people which resulted in the attack. “As the accused were being brought down the stairs inside the court complex, a group of advocates surrounded them and trashed the accused. Some of them even fell off the stairs and were kicked at,” said a police officer who was present on the spot.
The girl, a Class VII student in a city school, was raped and molested since January this year by the lift operators, security guards and helpers employed in the gated community where she was staying with her mother.
The incident came to light last week when the girl started complaining of stomach pain. later she shared her ordeal with her elder sister who was studying in a college outside Chennai.
“She told her sister that she was raped, sometimes even gangraped by the men. The sister informed the parents who lodged a complaint with police,” said a police officer belonging to the Aynavaram Police Station, a city suburb.
The victim and her family hailed from New Delhi and had moved to Chennai 30 years ago. “According to the girl’s mother, the men took her to isolated spots in the complex like basement, public washroom, terrace and gym and raped her,” a police official said.
The girl, who was first raped by lift operator Ravi, was threatened by him who also brought in his friends and acquaintances from outside the residential premises to torment her. The girl told her sister that the perpetrators had photographed her in compromising positions and were blackmailing her for the last six months.
The housing society is one of the addresses in Chennai preferred by the upper middle class and even high-end businessman because of the secured ambience. According to police, the girl was sedated with injections, drug-laced soft drinks and made to sniff a powder by the perpetrators before they sexually assaulted her and videographed themselves in the act.
The Madras High Court Advocates Association (MHAA) has, meanwhile, said no lawyers will represent the accused in the case and sought "strong punishment" for them.
"The advocates have registered their protest against this incident (sexual assault) by raising slogans against the accused persons. We have decided none of the advocates will appear for them," MHAA president G Mohanakrishnan told reporters.
At least four of them have confessed to the assault, while two others said they had molested the girl, the official said. Police said further investigation is on and CCTV footage of the complex would be examined.