NONAGENARIAN RAPE

A nonagenarian living alone was reportedly raped by a sexagenarian neighbour at Kadakkal in  Kollam. The incident has sent shock waves across the state. The victim a 90-year-old woman is a cancer patient. Eventhough the incident had happened two weeks before, the incident came into lime light recently, owing to the interference of a social activist. The Kadakkal police has registered a case under Section 377 for unnatural offence and under Section 354 for assault or criminal force to woman with intention to outrage the modesty, of IPC and also arrested a 64-year-old man named Babu alias Vijayakumar. Considering the gravity of the case, the state police chief Loknath Behra directed the IG Manoj Abraham to look into the matter and to supervise the investigation.

At the same time, it is understood from the circumstances that the defacto complainant lady has given a false statement before the police with a malafide intention to demoralize and to tarnish the image of her neighbor, due to enmity. The police said that there was a civil dispute between them with respect to their properties. Eventhoug medical examination of the lady was conducted, it was found that she was not subjected to rape. There are reports that the woman is mentally unstable. The locals said that the accused is not that kind of person who will commit such a heinous crime. But one lady who is living nearby told the police that she had seen that the accused on that particular day around that area. According to the victim the accused had entered the house by breaking open the back door and molested her. She also said that the ward member tried to hush up the matter, when she told the matter to him.

The Kerala State Women's Commission and The Kerala State Human Rights Commission have taken separate suo motu cases in connection with the rape of the 90-year- old widow. They will assist the victim to fight for justice and the Chairperson of the Commission said that  "justice will be ensured for the victim". 

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