india

Updated: Mar 19, 2019 23:41 IST

The parents of a 12-year-old Dalit girl who was raped and decapitated allegedly by three of her brothers and an uncle are in shock and grief and are concerned that they may face a social boycott.

The minor girl went missing on March 13 from her home and her body was found the following day in a field outside the village in Sagar district. The accused were arrested on Monday.

“I still cannot believe that my sons and brother could do such a thing. I was out that day and returned to learn my daughter was missing. I dialled 100 from a neighbour’s phone. My three sons and brother were with me all this time, but they were silent,” the father said, shaking his head and choking on his words. His wife weeps silently most of the time but in between lets out a wail of anguish.

A little distance away is his brother’s house, which is now locked because he and his wife are in jail. The brother-in-law of the victim’s father, who tries to consoles him, suggests that the entire case is a frame-up. “The police were under pressure so they cooked up the case. If we had money we would have hired a lawyer,” the brother-in-law said.

But even as they grieve, the couple are fearful of a social boycott by fellow villagers. “This has brought a bad name to my family and village. I work as a labourer, who will give me a job? How will I face the people? My two younger sons used to tend to some goats of the other villagers. I will have to return them as they are in jail,” he said. The fear of a social boycott is not unfounded. An upper-caste, middle-aged villager who lives a little distance away from where the Dalits live, said: “The incident has brought shame to the village... such people should not be allowed to live here.”