‘She was raped at Ashreya too’

The girl reportedly told her friends in Nari Niketan that the victim,during her stay in Ashreya in March,had told her about the ‘trauma’ she went through after the rape.

“She told me in Ashreya that one day when she was returning from school (referring to the Government Institute of Mentally Retarded Children) she was stopped near the gate by a Punjabi with a turban and beard. She then said that he forcibly took her to the bathroom,bolted the door and ‘committed a sinful act’,” the girl reportedly told the police. “She told me she started bleeding then and was in pain.”

An interpreter was called to translate her statement from Nepali to Hindi.

She first told another girl at Nari Niketan about it,who brought it to the notice of a woman constable,who informed the authorities.

The Special Investigating Team (SIT) of the UT police visited Nari Niketan on June 27 and recorded her statements.

The destitute Nepali girl was lodged in Ashreya in January this year when she was suspected to be mentally challenged. Later,her medical reports said she was ‘normal’. She was then shifted to Nari Niketan in the first week of June.

“We are still verifying her statements,as she was suspected to be mentally challenged. Her version is doubtful,but we are investigating if it can provide some vital clue,” said a senior police official requesting anonymity.