A couple who reported that their 10-year-old daughter had been repeatedly raped by a neighbor were allegedly beaten by an all-women police inspector in Anna Nagar and detained at the station until the early hours of 31 August 2024. The child, a sixth-grade student at a government school, witnessed the mistreatment of her parents in the presence of the accused, Sathish, a local water can supplier.
Despite the FIR being filed on 31 August 2024, Sathish has not yet been arrested. The girl’s father works as a construction worker, and her mother is a cook.
The rape incident came to light on 29 August 2024. However, the child did not receive the necessary mandatory counseling from a District Child Protection Officer (DCPO) or the Child Welfare Committee (CWC). On 29th of August, after the girl’s mother discovered her in severe pain and had her examined at a private clinic, it was confirmed that she had been sexually assaulted. The child was then referred to Kilpauk Medical College and Hospital (KMCH), where doctors verified the repeated assaults.
Following notification from KMCH, an all-women police team from Anna Nagar visited the hospital. Contrary to protocol, Inspector Raji demanded the mother bring her Aadhaar card and other documents to the station, where she conducted an inquiry with the child. During this inquiry, the inspector repeatedly questioned why the girl had been named Sathish, with the girl mistakenly claiming it was an error. She also mentioned that her cousin had assaulted her in 2022.
The survivor later confided in her mother that she did not name Sathish initially because he had threatened to kill her parents and younger sister, making her an orphan.
After the inquiry, the inspector summoned the parents to the station and detained them until the early morning hours of the following day. The girl’s mother reported to TOI that police had assaulted her husband during this time, and she is now receiving support from AIMS coordinator Kanya.
When Inspector Raji was contacted, she stated, “You should not inquire about POCSO cases with the investigation officer.” Anna Nagar Deputy Commissioner Snehapriya denied any such attacks on the complainants at the all-women police station.
The girl remains at KMCH, and the CWC has yet to forward the case to the DCPO to assign a child counselor. CWC Chairperson Rajkumar Muthukrishnam informed that “I was unaware of this case. We will follow the procedure and assign a counselor to speak with the girl.”
(With Inputs From TOI)
Subscribe to our Telegram, WhatsApp, and Instagram channels and get the best stories of the day delivered instantly.