‘I will become an IAS officer and give justice to all’

Girl who was raped from the age of five sets sights on higher studies at 15 and hopes to bring her attacker to justice

I want to become an IAS officer to help distraught people like me and get them justice,” vowed a 15-year-old girl who was raped for six years. She is now helping her mother raise money to fight her “rapist’s” acquittal in the high court. While she is taking home tuition, her mother has started tailoring despite her lower back and spinal issues. The mother has blamed the police for the acquittal of Sumit Yashwant Lanke, the accused, saying they botched up the investigation.

The family lived in Kurla when the incident happened. The girl was five when Lanke allegedly raped her, and the sexual assault went on until she turned 11, in 2018, said her mother. “Lanke, who was 24 years old then, is the son of a close family friend who were my parents’ neighbour in Kurla. On the pretext of playing with her, Lanke would force her to watch porn videos on his mobile phone and raped and sodomised her for almost six years,” she added.

The threats

Lanke would threaten her with a blade if she resisted, she said. “One day, there was no one to play with me, so I was crying in the lane near my house. He accosted me and offered chocolates and toys. Later, he took me to a room, bolted the door from inside and raped me…,” recalled the survivor while talking to mid-day.

The survivor teaches students while her mother stitches clothes, at their house. Pic/Sameer Markande

“This continued for several years, but I could not understand what was happening. One day, we had a class of ‘good touch and bad touch’ in my school, and I realised I was being abused. I used to tie a rakhi on his wrist every year. The next time, I protested, but he threatened to kill my maternal uncle and sexually abuse my cousin,” she added.

The incident came to light when her maternal uncle noticed an SMS delivery report on the mobile phone of the survivor’s grandfather, who does not know how to send messages. After a brief enquiry, he learnt that the text was sent to Lanke. “After she narrated her ordeal to me, I approached Vinoba Bhave Nagar police station on September 18, 2018, and registered a complaint against Lanke,” said the mother.

On learning about his release from jail, the family moved to an undisclosed location in Thane district, as they are “living in fear”. “I never wanted my daughter to see the accused,” the mother said, adding that she has been so traumatised that she can’t sleep alone at night. “She cannot even go out alone. She needs someone with her. But I am happy that she is confident to achieve something in life. She is a fighter.”

“She had slipped into depression. If we talk to her about the incident, she goes silent. Sometimes, she tries to injure herself by scratching her body with her nails. She would initially tell me that ‘mai gandi ho gyi hu’, but I told her, ‘not you, Lanke is ganda’,” said the mother.

“I have to handle my daughter with extra care,” she added. Despite all odds, the girl has not lost her interest in studies and is among the top three rankers in her class. “I love reading and teaching students,” she said. Recalling the proceedings, she said, “Many people, including police and people in courtroom, asked me n-number of questions about the incident. I replied with details, but what’s the use if the accused is acquitted? Still, I will fight back… I am not going to give up!”

The mother said, “I have learnt that the rapist’s relatives gave him a grand welcome after he was released from jail. My daughter is fighting to get justice but the criminal is enjoying a grand welcome. This is the travesty of justice.” She alleged that he was acquitted because of his advocate uncle’s influence.

‘Legal cost too high’

“I contacted many lawyers to challenge the verdict in the high court, but the legal expenditure is too high. I can’t bear the cost at present, but I can surely save money and then approach a good lawyer who can help us get the justice,” said the mother. She said the police initially helped them, but “later the investigating officer, Sub-Inspector Nikita Narne, became lenient as the matter reached the court.” “I am wondering why the police were so lenient in gathering strong pieces of evidence in the case? How can a dreaded criminal be acquitted?”

‘Botched-up probe’

“A complete botched-up investigation led to his acquittal. If not Lanke, then who raped my daughter?” she asked. Narne said, “I investigated the case and arrested the accused immediately and he remained in jail till the time he was acquitted. There was no lax in the investigation.” She added, “There was a difference in the statement of the girl and the mother [complainant in the case]. The mother said the accused showed the girl porn videos when he raped her, but the girl didn’t tell us anything as such.” “After a few days, the case was handed over to Inspector Ravindra Pawar who filed the chargesheet. I have no clue what happened after,” said Narne, who is now posted at Sion police station. “I can’t recall anything about the case as it is too old. I will have to refer the case files before making any comment,” said Pawar. 

A timeline of events in the case

2012: Year the girl was first raped
Dec 2017: When she was last raped
Sept 2018: When police filed an FIR
August 2021: When deposition of witnesses for prosecution started and the mother’s statement was recorded
Nov 30, 2021: Day special judge under POCSO Act, Priti Kumar Ghule, acquitted the accused 

24 yrs
Age of the accused at the time of the incident

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