Two men arrested for gang-raping 14-year-old tribal girl in Palghar

Representational Pic

Two men have been arrested for gangraping a 14-year-old tribal student in Palghar district. The case was initially registered under Zero FIR at Mandvi police station in Virar East and later it was transferred to Manor police station on Monday.

One of the accused is the victim's cousin, a senior officer in the Palghar police stated. He added, "The incident occurred in October when the minor girl, a Class VIII student, and her 21-year-old cousin returned to Manor after attending a wedding ceremony. The cousin slept in the same room where his wife and the victim were sleeping."

"The girl has to say that her cousin woke up in the middle of the night and raped her despite resisting. Later, when she left the room, a 30-year-old man also raped her," the officer added.

The matter came into light on Sunday evening when the rape survivor met with a worker of Shramjeevi Sangathana and she was brought to Virar where a tribal activist Vivek Pandit helped her registering the FIR.

"When I came to know about the case, I called Mandvi police where a Zero FIR was registered under relevant sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. Later the case was transferred to Manor police station," said Pandit.

Meanwhile, another senior officer in the Palghar police department stated, "Both the accused have been arrested. During interrogation, the woman's cousin confessed to the crime, claiming that in the darkness of the night, he was unable to distinguish between his wife and the minor girl, who is also his cousin."

What Zero FIR is?

Zero FIR is a tool that empowers a victim to approach any police station to register an FIR, irrespective of the jurisdiction of offence. Once the Zero FIR is registered, it is transferred to the concerned police station for further investigation.

Though it is not a new concept, it has now been established as a law. Previously, it was merely a guideline (Government Resolution) issued by the Union government, under which police would register FIRs for serious cognizable offences and then transfer them to the appropriate jurisdictional police station. However, with the legal recognition of Zero FIR, officers are now legally obligated to register an FIR whenever they receive information about a cognizable offence, regardless of jurisdiction. Any delay or refusal to register an FIR can lead to legal consequences for the concerned officer.