Minor girl dies of suspected acid ingestion in Delhi; police probe mother's contradictory statements
New Delhi (PTI): A 16-year-old girl died under suspicious circumstances in east Delhi's Geeta Colony area, prompting police to investigate allegations of sexual assault and forced acid ingestion, an official said on Sunday.
According to the police, the statements given by the girl’s mother are also contradictory and are being probed.
On July 3, the girl, a resident of Geeta Colony, was married to a 22-year-old man from Rampur in Uttar Pradesh in the presence of members of both families, they said.
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"The two families are distant relatives. On October 29, last year, a medico-legal case (MLC) was received at the Geeta Colony police station from Maulana Azad Hospital, Delhi, about the girl. The MLC mentioned acid ingestion and did not record any history of assault," a police officer said.
At the time, the girl and her mother had told doctors and police that she had consumed acid on her own after an argument with her husband, he said.
"However, on January 23, the girl's mother lodged a fresh complaint at Geeta Colony police station, alleging that her daughter had been sexually assaulted by her husband and was forced to consume acid on October 29," the officer added.
In view of the age of the girl at the time of marriage, police registered FIR on January 23, under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 65 (rape) and 351(2) (criminal intimidation) and Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act at Geeta Colony police station, officials said.
The victim later gave a contradictory version regarding the ingestion of acid during her statement before a magistrate. Based on her statement, appropriate sections of law were invoked, and the matter was probed from all angles, they added.
"In the alleged incident of acid ingestion, the girl was not admitted to any hospital for a prolonged period. Instead, she remained at her parental home. On February 7, her father took her to Lok Nayak Jai Prakash (LNJP) Hospital in an emergency condition, where doctors declared her dead," the police officer said.
He further said that an autopsy was conducted on Sunday at the hospital, but the surgeon conducting the post-mortem could not arrive at a definitive opinion regarding the cause of death, citing the considerable time gap and the long duration since the alleged acid ingestion.
Police said the final opinion will be given after receiving the results of histopathological examination and chemical analysis from the forensic laboratory. Further action as deemed fit will be taken after receipt of the expert reports, the officer said.
The case is being closely monitored, and all aspects, including the allegations of sexual assault, the circumstances of acid ingestion, medical history and statements of witnesses, are being examined, police said.
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LS adjourned till 2 pm as oppn insists Rahul should speak before Budget discussion
New Delhi (PTI): Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned till 2 pm on Monday with opposition parties insisting that Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi be allowed to speak before the House takes up discussion on the Union Budget.
As Krishna Prasad Tenneti called Congress' Shashi Tharoor to initiate the debate on the Budget, opposition members dug in their heels and said Gandhi be allowed to speak first.
Tenneti underlined that the discussion was on the Budget and Tharoor's name had been given by the Congress as its lead speaker.
He said he would need to get clarity on whether LoP can be allowed to speak. He also asked Gandhi whether he wanted to speak on the Budget.
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Tharoor, meanwhile, said he yields to the LoP.
As the stalemate continued, Tenneti adjourned the House till 2 pm.
Later, talking to reporters outside Parliament building, Tharoor said Gandhi wanted to respond to allegations that Congress MPs in Lok Sabha wanted to carry out an "unexpected act" when the prime minister was to come to the Lok Sabha chamber last week to respond to debate on Motion of Thanks.
He said a clarification was required on part of the LoP.
On February 5, an anguished Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said he had "concrete information" that many Congress members might move towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi's seat and carry out "some unexpected act" as a result of which he had requested him not to come to the House to reply to the discussion on the Motion of Thanks on the President's address.
Earlier, Lok Sabha proceeding were adjourned till 12 noon after Speaker Birla slammed opposition members for "planning" disruptions.
As the House took up Question Hour, opposition members started raising issues which they demanded should be addressed immediately.
Birla said the issues can be raised during discussion on the Union Budget. He said members, including the LoP, were free to speak during the debate.
As opposition members continued disruptions, he slammed them for the "planned" disruptions and asked them to let the House run as per rules.
