New Delhi, Apr 19 (IANS): The father of the five-year-old girl who was held captive and raped by her neighbour said Friday that the police had offered him Rs.2,000 to keep quiet, and advised him to "thank god that his daughter was alive".
"We went to the police to register an FIR (First Information Report) but they refused. They never tried to find her, and instead drove us away," the father of the victim told reporters here outside the Swami Dayananda Hospital in east Delhi's Shahdara, where the girl is battling for life.
The father said that when the family finally found the girl Wednesday, the police told the family to not highlight the issue, and offered them Rs.2000 to keep mum.
"The police told us that we should not highlight the issue in the media and gave us Rs.2,000 as kharcha-pani (for expenses and refreshment)," said the father, adding that the police further told them to "thank god that his daughter was alive".
"The police told us to take our daughter home and pray for her recovery," said one of the girl's relatives.
The girl was abducted April 15 and kept hostage for two days without food and water in a flat owned by the attacker, said to be in his 30s. He lived on the ground floor of the building in east Delhi's Gandhi Nagar, in which the victim's family also stayed, police said.
The girl was raped repeatedly, and rescued when members of her family heard her screams Wednesday evening, police said.
A doctor treating the child said her condition is "serious" and the "next 24-48 hours are critical".
Protests near hospital as five-year-old battles for life
Family, neighbours and activists of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Friday protested outside the hospital where a five-year-old girl, a victim of rape, was admitted in a serious condition.
The girl was held hostage for over two days and repeatedly raped by a neighbour, who deprived her of even food and water.
A doctor treating the child said her condition is "serious" and the "next 24-48 hours are critical".
Protestors gathered outside the Swami Dayanand Hospital in Shahdara, east Delhi, where the girl has been admitted, and raised slogans against Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and Delhi Police.
They demanded immediate arrest of the accused in the case and said the girl should be shifted to a better hospital like the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).
"The police tried to suppress the matter and even offered Rs.2,000 to the family to keep quiet. On top of that, the child was admitted to a hospital which does not even have proper facilities and equipment," AAP spokesperson Aswathi Muralidharan told IANS.
"We want a better hospital and immediate arrest of the accused," she said.
The girl was abducted April 15 and kept hostage in a flat owned by the attacker, said to be in his 30s. He lived on the ground floor of the building in east Delhi's Gandhi Nagar, in which the victim's family also stayed, police said.
The girl was rescued when members of her family heard her scream Wednesday evening, police said.
The girl's father told reporters that he had earlier approached the police with a complaint that his daughter was missing, but they failed to register his complaint.
Candle, bottle poked into rape victim's genitals: Doctors
A 200 ml bottle and pieces of candle were inserted into the private parts of the five-year-old rape victim, a doctor said Friday, adding that he had "never seen such a case".
"Upon examination, we found a 200 ml bottle and two or three pieces of candle inserted into her private parts. This is the first time that I have seen such barbarism with a five-year-old," R.K. Bansal, medical superintendent, Swami Dayanand Hospital, told reporters.
"There were injuries on her lips and cheeks and bruise marks on her neck, suggesting that attempts were made to strangle her. The blood pressure was way below normal, and she had fever when she was admitted," the doctor said.
"The child's condition is very critical. She is in ICU right now and will be under observation for the next 24-48 hours," he said.
The girl was abducted April 15 and kept hostage for two days without food and water in a flat owned by the attacker, said to be in his 30s. He lived on the ground floor of the building in east Delhi's Gandhi Nagar, in which the victim's family also stayed, police said.
The girl, who was raped repeatedly, was rescued when members of her family heard her screams Wednesday evening, police said.