A minor rape survivor died of pregnancy-related complications at the district hospital in Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly district, the police told PTI on Sunday. The 15-year-old girl was seven months pregnant.
Hospital Senior Superintendent Dr Subodh Sharma said the minor was admitted to the hospital on January 2. Her health deteriorated and she died on January 7.
A 30-year-old man had allegedly raped the girl in a sugarcane field in June. The girl’s family said they came to know about her pregnancy on December 6. Her father had then sought permission from the district administration to abort the baby. However, the authorities denied them permission as doctors pointed out that she was already six-months pregnant and a police investigation was underway.
“The post-mortem report says that the death took place due to infection,” said Bareilly Senior Superintendent of Police Rohit Singh Sajwan. “The viscera of the girl has been preserved.”
The girl’s father had filed a rape complaint at Fatehganj West police station on December 4. The accused had also allegedly threatened to kill the girl’s family members if she revealed the incident to them.
A case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act and the Indian Penal Code was registered against the accused, the police said. The accused was arrested on December 6. A chargesheet has been filed in the case, said Station House Officer at Fatehganj West police station Ashwani Kumar.
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