According to the police, the girl was repeatedly raped by six persons, including two 60-year-olds and a juvenile, over the last eight to nine months. (Representative image)
The eleven-year-old rape survivor was discharged from the Rajkot civil hospital on Friday, while doctors continue to treat the child she delivered last Saturday. Dr Kamal Goswami, who treated the girl, said, “We discharged the patient as she had fully recovered after she delivered a baby girl through caesarean section last week. She was doing fine now and therefore she was discharged from the hospital this morning.”
According to the police, the girl was repeatedly raped by six persons, including two 60-year-olds and a juvenile, over the last eight to nine months. The accused allegedly used to call the girl to their homes for domestic help and then sexually assault her.
The matter came to light on March 8 when her mother noticed that her stomach had an unusual bump. The mother then took her to a private clinic where the doctor confirmed that she was eight-and-a-half-months pregnant. Following a complaint by her mother, the minor girl, a Class VII student, was admitted to the Rasulkhanji Zanana hospital on the campus of Rajkot civil hospital on March 13. She delivered a child on March 17.
However, the newborn has a congenital defect called spina bifida, in which the spinal cord does not develop fully. As a result, her legs are paralysed and the damage has spread to her brain. She was first admitted to KT Children’s Government Hospital on Rajkot civil hospital campus. However, she was referred to Ahmedabad civil hospital for further treatment.
Following a series of tests, doctors concluded that surgery to mitigate her condition was not possible at that stage. Eventually, she was referred back to Rajkot KT Children’s hospital on Wednesday.
A family member of the 11-year-old rape survivor said, “The infant is still undergoing treatment at the government hospital. While our daughter was discharged from the hospital.” The family of the 11-year-old has said that they want the newborn to live but do not want to raise her themselves. While five of the accused are in judicial custody, the 17-year-old accused has also been arrested.