Minor girl battles alone against rapist father, gets him convicted

Bengaluru: A city court on Wednesday sentenced a daily wage worker to 20 years of simple imprisonment for raping his 16-yr-old daughter, ending a three-year legal battle in which the minor survivor stood resolute despite getting no support from her mother and immediate family. The mother even reprimanded the girl for registering a rape case against her father.Along with the sentence, Special Judge S Sujata imposed a fine of Rs 1.1 lakh on the convict, who has been lodged in Bengaluru Central Prison since his arrest in June 2023.The convict, a daily-wage labourer hailing from Bihar, lived with his wife and four children in north Bengaluru. The survivor is his eldest daughter, who had dropped out of school after Class IX and moved to a relative's house in Uttar Pradesh after he repeatedly pressured her to get married.Following the demise of the convict's mother in Bihar on June 12, the family travelled to their hometown for the rituals. During the visit, the father explicitly promised her he would no longer coerce her into marriage. First, he returned to Bengaluru, and then she joined him.On the night of June 27, 2023, in a highly intoxicated state, the accused claimed he wanted to "test" her character, saying that he suspected her of having an affair during her stay in UP. On the pretext of conducting this "test", he raped her. Later in the night, when the father stepped out of the house to fetch dinner, she fled the premises and spent the night hiding in a nearby park. The following morning, she spotted an autorickshaw parked nearby. She pleaded with the driver to take her to the nearest police station, where she filed a formal complaint.The jurisdictional police immediately initiated an investigation, arrested the accused, and shifted the survivor to a state-run women's shelter home for protection. When the police contacted her mother and requested her immediate presence in Bengaluru, the mother chose to castigate the minor instead. "The survivor fought this battle entirely alone," public prosecutor P Krishnaveni told TOI. "Despite serving several notices and making multiple requests, her mother steadfastly refused to attend the court proceedings or support her child," she said.The prosecution highly commended the teenager's mental fortitude during the trial. "The survivor stood like a rock, never wavering from her initial statements despite the immense emotional trauma and zero family backing," Krishnaveni added. The 19-yr-old is now working as a tailor.The public prosecutor also credited the successful conviction to the support system provided by the state. "We must thank the women police officials and the dedicated staff of the state home who stood firmly by her side throughout these three years, ensuring that justice was ultimately served," she said.