The 10-year-old girl, raped by her stepfather, was five months into the pregnancy,
A 10-year-old Rohtak girl, who was found to be five months pregnant after being allegedly raped by her stepfather, underwent an abortion today, after the district court had left the decision to a panel of doctors. "The process (of abortion) is complete now. The girl is recovering," said the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS) Rohtak doctor, Prashant Kumar.
The medical board of PGIMS on May 16 had
decided to abort the foetus of the girl after the district court left it to the panel of doctors to take a call on the matter.
The
gruesome incident that has received wide-spread condemnation from across the country after it came to light on May 14 when the girl's mother took her to a hospital where her pregnancy was confirmed by the doctors.
The mother, in a complaint lodged with the police, had alleged that the girl's stepfather had been raping her for a long time and threatened the girl of dire consequences if she dared to disclose it to anyone.
She had reasoned that her family was not financially well off and therefore was in no condition to bring up the child. She already has four children, according to police.
The child, the third of four children, was often left at home while her mother went out to work as a domestic help and has told the police that she was raped repeatedly by her stepfather, who is also her uncle. The 21-year-old man, , identified as Suresh, has been arrested.
Nearly 40,000 rape cases are reported every year in the country, but the real number is thought to be much higher, with victims wary of how their complaints will be dealt with or the social stigma attached to sex crimes.