An 18-year-old higher secondary student, who was released from Tirur sub-jail on Saturday after a DNA examination found that he was not responsible for the pregnancy of a minor girl, is still an
accused in the rape of the minor girl.
The police said that the release of Sreenath from the jail did not mean that he was absolved of the charges filed under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and IPC 376 for rape. “He still is an accused in the POCSO case,” said District Police Chief Sujith Das S.
The social media had celebrated the release of Sreenath from the jail, giving him an aura of a victim of police callousness.
The minor girl was found to have had below-normal intelligence quotient (IQ). She was given expert counselling at the Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (IMHANS), Kozhikode. The first phase
of counselling was over and the second phase is scheduled for September 2.
The girl is said to have repeated the name of Sreenath in the counselling session. She has also reportedly revealed the name of the other people who abused her.
“It is true that Sreenath is not the father of the foetus that grows in the girl’s womb. But it does not mean that he is not involved in the case,” Mr. Sujith Das told The Hindu.
It was two months ago that the girl’s mother noticed that she was pregnant. The girl told Sreenath’s name to the gynaecologist, who examined her, to the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) that took her case, and to the magistrate who heard the case.
“The case is now more serious. There are other players in this. The DNA test was only to find out the father of the child growing inside her. The other people who abused the girl will be nabbed soon,” said
Mr. Sujith Das.
