Her condition never improved even as the best treatment available was provided

After battling for life for eight days, the six-year-old rape victim of Jagannathpur village in Odisha died at the SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack on Sunday evening.

The minor was rescued in a very critical condition with injuries to her head, face neck and groin from inside a school campus at Jagannathpur, about 30 km from Cuttack, on April 21 evening.

While a 13-member team of senior doctors drawn from several departments was attending to the victim in the ICU, she passed away on Sunday evening around 5 p.m., Hospital Superintendent Professor Shyama Kanungo said.

Medico-legal case

“Since it was a medico-legal case, the body will be handed over to the family in the presence of the police after post mortem,” she said.

The girl was put on a ventilator and her condition never improved even as the best treatment available was provided to her, Ms. Kanungo said, adding that her conditions started deteriorating from Thursday. Since her condition was not stable in the past 72 hours, it was not possible to shift her to a better facility, said treating doctors.

Murder charge

Muhammad Mustaq (25) of the same village was arrested within 24 hours of the incident on Sunday last. He had been remanded in judicial custody on charges of rape and attempt to murder and under provisions of the POCSO Act. “Since the victim has died now, the attempt to murder charge will be converted to murder charge,” said Salepur police station inspector D. K. Mallick.

The girl had gone to a kiosk in her village to purchase biscuits on that evening. When she did not return after a while, her family members went out in search of her. She was finally found lying unconscious without clothes on her body inside the school campus with blood oozing out from her head and mouth. She was taken to a nearby private nursing home and was later shifted to the Cuttack hospital.