Two of the accused have been arrested and a search is on for the others. (Representative)
A 13-year-old boy was forced to have a sex reassignment surgery and raped and abused for years by four accused in a horrifying incident in northeast Delhi, the city's women's commission has said.
According to the Delhi Commission for Women or DCW, the boy met the accused at a dance event in Laxmi Nagar about three years ago.
The accused befriended Shubham (name changed) and took him with them on the excuse of teaching him to dance.
Shubham participated in dance programs for some time and he was also given some money by the accused. After some time, Shubham was told that he will have to live and work with his group now.
Shubham was kept under the influence of narcotics and in a few days, was forced to have a gender reassignment surgery. At that time, Shubham was just 13 years old. Shubham said that he was also given hormones after the operation, which sped up his transition.
The accused and his friends gang raped Shubham, the DCW said. He was also raped by others who came as customers. Shubham was also made to beg as a eunuch at traffic signals. Shubham said that the accused too used to wear women's clothes, assault people and take their money.
Shubham continued to be threatened that if he told anyone about all of this, he and his family would be killed.
A few months later, another boy that Shubham knew was brought there. Shubham knew him as a catering assistant where he performed as a dancer.
When Shubham was sent to the market by the accused, he would go meet his mother, but he did not go to the police out of fear.
One day, after the COVID-19 lockdown in March last year, Shubham and his friend managed to escape and went to Shubham's mother.
She got them to stay in a rented house where both the boys, Shubham's parents and brothers started living.
However, the accused managed to get their address in December and showed up at their house. They beat him up brutally and stole the little money they had.
Shubham was taken back along with the boy and they were raped by all the four accused, the DCW said. Shubham's mother was also threatened with a gun by the accused.
Two days later, Shubham and his friend managed to escape again and hid at the New Delhi railway station.
The next day, a lawyer found the children there and brought them to the DCW.
Shubham said that a few policemen he met had pressured him to not file a complaint, saying that if a case were filed, he too would have to go to jail.
The DCW took prompt action and had a First Information Report or FIR registered including charges under the child sex abuse law.
Two of the accused have been arrested and a search is on for the others.
The DCW said it is providing legal aid to both the survivors and is also working for their rehabilitation and protection.