The victim named her late grandfather, father, brother, friends of her father and brother, relatives, neighbours and several others in the area as accused. The victim named her late grandfather, father, brother, friends of her father and brother, relatives, neighbours and several others in the area as accused.

THE MADRAS High Court has sought a status report from the Tamil Nadu police on a PIL that has alleged at least three IPS officers and other policemen were involved in the rape of a minor , who was reportedly drugged, trafficked and sexually exploited for the last three years by public servants, and before that by her relatives in Sivaganga.

The PIL, filed by lawyer and social activist T Vincent on Monday, said only the father and brother of the 17-year-old victim were sent to jail, although she had named several police officers in her complaint. The victim named her late grandfather, father, brother, friends of her father and brother, relatives, neighbours and several others in the area as accused.

The complaint was filed by a close relative of the victim at an all-women police station in Sivaganga in the first week of June. The victim later gave a statement before a magistrate. She has since been sent to a state-run home.

“But the police registered a case only against her father and brother,” said the PIL, adding that the police were conducting the probe “in a shoddy manner to protect the real culprits”. Alleging that the officers who raped the girl were blocking a proper investigation, the PIL sought a CBI probe into the case.

The victim’s ordeal began in 2008, when she was allegedly sexually abused by her grandfather and some neighbours. The victim lived with her grandparents as her mother had died when she was just two years old. Soon after, the victim’s brother also allegedly sexually abused her, and reportedly allowed his friends to do so for money.

The girl met her father for the first time after she completed her Class X. Three years ago, after a fight with her father, she went to the Sivaganga police station. The inspector of the local police station allegedly demanded sexual favours from her to resolve her differences with her father.

Two police officers named in her complaint and in the PIL — an inspector at the office of the IG (South Zone) and a sub-inspector at Sivaganga town police station — allegedly sent the girl to their senior officers on several occasions. According to the victim’s statement, she was drugged and gangraped by police officers, including three IPS officers, at a five-star hotel in Madurai.

She listed several instances when she was reportedly sent to senior police officers in the Madurai hotel and another hotel. She also named two doctors, in Sivaganga and Vandiyur near Madurai, who allegedly carried out her abortions. Many who abused her allegedly shot videos of the act.

The PIL has accused senior police officers of destroying evidence, including CCTV footage, after the complaint in June.

The PIL said the police had omitted relevant sections of rape, sub-sections concerning rape by police officers and relatives, and provisions governing exploitation of a trafficked person. The PIL also pointed out sections of the POCSO were not invoked.

The high court bench has ordered the Sivaganga police inspector to submit a report on November 3.

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