Maharashtra: Class-12 boy commits suicide after sexual abuse, 14 arrested
In a terrible incident that will make you sick, a Class 12 boy committed suicide in Maharashtra after being sodomized by fellow students and staff of the hostel he was residing in. The boy's 18-page suicide note was recovered on Monday, following which police arrested 14 people, including a minor. The accused were sent to three-day police custody till January 24, reports said.
Boy was abused on his birthday too
According to IndiaTimes, the victim was an inmate of Sevadal Boys Hostel in Marai Patan village, Chandrapur, since he was in Class 5. He took his life on Saturday, three days after he celebrated his birthday. The suicide note revealed shocking details of the abuse the victim went through for over a year. The boy was abused on his birthday too, the note revealed.
The accused are being investigated, said top cop
Based on the victim's words, police arrested 14 on Tuesday. The accused include three hostel officials. Additional Superintendent of Police Prashant Khaire said, "They were produced before a court and remanded to three-day police custody till January 24, and they are currently being interrogated." They were charged with abetment of suicide, unnatural sexual offenses under IPC and relevant sections of the POCSO Act.
In 2018, 109 kids were sexually abused every day
This case sheds light on the fact that India is doing nothing to protect its children from predators. Data from the National Crime Record Bureau showed that 109 children were sexually abused every day in 2018, 22% more than the year before. The data pointed out that 21,605 kids were raped that year. Of them, 21,401 were girls, while 204 were boys.
Despite troubling figures, activist expressed faith
Though the data is alarming, Priti Mahara, Director of Policy Research and Advocacy at CRY - Child Rights and You (CRY), saw a silver lining in it. She said such crimes are now being reported. "It provides a direction in which government interventions must be made and evidence needs to be created," Mahara said, adding that a lot of work needs to be done.
