Salepur rape victim still critical; accused in jail

The six-year-old Salepur rape victim, who was rescued in an unconscious state on Saturday evening, continued to battle for her life in a critical condition for almost 48 hours now at the SCB Medical College Hospital here on Monday evening. While doctors attending to her maintained that there has been a slight improvement in her condition, they also said the minor girl was still critical and not out of danger.

“The patient continues to be in a critical state although there has been a slight improvement in her condition in the past 24 hours,” said the Hospital Superintendent Prof Shyma Kanungo. She said the patient was on life-supporting system and a team of doctors drawn from various departments were attending to her round-the-clock keeping a close watch on her vital organ parameters.”

Notably, the girl had been rescued in a comatose state lying in a pool of blood from a school campus near her house in Jagannathpur village of the Salepur area. There were several wounds in her whole body and she had sustained deep wounds in her head, mouth and neck after the rapist wanted to kill her by strangulation and hitting her head against the boundary wall of the school.

In another development, the rape accused Md Mustaq of the same village, who had been arrested on Sunday, was produced before a local court on Monday and remanded to jail custody, police said. Police said Mustaq raped the girl and made an attempt to kill her. Presuming that she was dead, Mustaq dumped her in the school campus by tossing her across the boundary wall.