Delhi: 5-year-old rape victim gives statement via video conferencing

New Delhi: A five-year-old girl, who was raped allegedly by two youths in east Delhi, which led to massive protests, today appeared before a court here and recorded her statement. Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Sanjay Garg recorded the testimony of the child through video conferencing after the court was “satisfied regarding her competency to make statement.” Her deposition was recorded in question-answer form in a child witness court room (CWCR). The minor, along with her mother and a woman counsel for her support, was made to sit in a separate room where several toys, eatables and books were kept for the child witness to make her feel comfortable. The judge, who is presiding over a special court set up to deal with cases of sexual offences against children, was conveying his questions to the minor through the woman support counsel. The CWCR has been set up to help children, who are sometimes witnesses in cases pertaining to sexual offences, to depose freely in the court. While the judge and counsel were sitting in one room, the accused were made to sit in a separate room and they were visible through a glass separation. [caption id=“attachment_1039093” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Delhi Police are seen in this file photo. Image used for representational purposes only. AP[/caption] Manoj Shah and Pradeep Kumar, now in judicial custody, are accused of raping the girl on 15 April. The child was rescued 40 hours later on 17 April. Police said the accused, who are being represented through advocate R S Juneja, had fled after committing the crime and were arrested from Bihar. The court also recorded the statement of the victim’s father who identified Manoj saying he was one of the two who had raped his daughter as she was found locked in his room The minor’s father told the court that on 13 April, he had gone to Punjab and on the night of April 15, he received a call from his wife informing him that their daughter was missing. Thereafter, he returned to Delhi and when he, along with his brother, was searching for the minor on the morning of 17 April, he got a call from someone informing that his daughter was crying in a room of the building where he was residing, he said. He said when the crowd broke the lock of the room, where Manoj was staying on rent, they found the minor lying on the ground, crying and she was not able to sit. He said there were injury marks on the child’s neck which supports the police theory that the accused had tried to kill the girl by strangulating and slitting her throat. The testimony of the child’s father remained inconclusive and would continue on 19 August. Earlier, the court had recorded the statement of the victim’s mother who had broken down while deposing and identified the accused as those who committed the crime. The court had earlier framed charges of raping a minor, unnatural offence, kidnapping, attempt to murder, destruction of evidence and wrongful confinement with common intention under IPC against the two accused. It also framed charges of aggravated sexual assault under the newly-enacted Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act which entails a maximum punishment of life imprisonment. Charges of rape and unnatural offence were slapped against the two accused by the court on its own as these two sections were not invoked by the police in its charge sheet. PTI