Raipur: A tribal girl, an acid attack survivor who was allegedly gangraped five months ago, is now running from pillar to post in search of affordable medical treatment. Her leg is completely damaged due to burns.

She first underwent treatment at a district civil hospital, which, after 20 days of her admission, referred the girl to Raipur’s All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS). After treating her for a few more days, the AIIMS too allegedly referred her to a private super speciality hospital — which has estimated the treatment cost to stand somewhere near Rs 27 lakh.

Unable to bear such a huge expenditure, the victim’s family has appealed to the government for help, but to no avail. After the incumbents allegedly failed the 19-year-old, her fellow community is now arranging the sum to ensure their daughter returns healthy and fit.   

The Incident

The horror unfolded last year in a village of the Baikunthpur police station area in Koriya district where the accused first allegedly gang-raped the girl, then poured acid on her body in an unconscious state. As a result, she suffered a serious burn injury. 

The victim told the police that she came in contact with one Milesh Yadav through a common friend. Both became friends and began talking over the phone.

The accused proposed to her to accompany him to visit a fair in another nearby village on October 8, last year. She agreed and went there with him on bike. But the proposal turned out to be a trap. 

Milesh took her to an isolated water tank outside her village and raped her. Others too joined him in outraging her modesty.

The victim told the cops that after the incident, as it was too late, she did not return home and slept the whole night under a Mahua tree. 

She had slipped into slumber but suddenly woke up with a burning sensation in his legs, back and feet. There were blisters on her feet. She somehow reached a village doctor, who informed her family about the incident and referred her to the district hospital.

The victim alleged that the accused had poured some acid-like substance on her while she was sleeping with an intention to silence her forever. But this has not been confirmed by the doctor, nor is the incident of acid attack recorded in the FIR.

According to the police, no such incident was reported by the victim.

While talking to The Mooknayak, a relative of the victim accused the cops and the district hospital of indulging in cover up. He said the investigators are taking advantage of the family’s “illiteracy”.

He alleged when Korea District Hospital did not have a burn unit and specialist doctors, why the authorities admitted her and kept her there for 20 days. “Why was she immediately referred to the trauma center earlier?” he asked.

However, Baikunthpur police station in-charge Vishal Kujur said the girl had come to his police station with a complaint of rape allegedly committed by her boyfriend. There was no mention of an acid attack in her complaint. 

“We registered a zero FIR and transferred it to Khadgawan police station, which has jurisdiction over the spot of the alleged crime,” he said.

Khadgawan police station in-charge Ramnayan Gupta a chargesheet has already been submitted in the case. 

“Our investigation revealed that the girl and the accused were in a love affair. On the request of the accused, the girl had gone with him. But he raped her on the the pretext of marriage. When both of them left home in the morning, they fell into a trap laid to catch animals, due to which both of them were injured,” he said.

He too denied having been informed about the alleged acid attack. “No evidence, suggesting acid attack, was found during investigation. And therefore, a case of rape was registered against the accused, who has already been behind the bars. Another man who helped the accused in this incident has also been sent to jail,” he said.

Tribal organizations have also demonstrated in Koriya, seeking justice and financial assistance from the government. 

The right groups alleged the incident has come up in the election season; and therefore, the police are trying to suppress it. 

They said the victim is battling for life just because of the “criminal” negligence of the government hospital. 

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