Woman says ghost raped her 15-year-old daughter

(By: Kaumudi Gurjar, Mid-Day; Date: 15-02-2012 Link: http://www.mid-day.com/news/2012/feb/150212-pune-Woman-says-ghost-raped-her-15-year-old-daughter.htm

Accessed on February 24, 2012)

No police case even after victim's transfer to short stay home; cops say shelter not sharing details

A Minor rape victim's mother believes a ghost violated her daughter. No police complaint has been lodged so far, even though it has been nearly a month since the girl was referred to a short stay home.

Premature delivery

The 15-year-old physically handicapped girl delivered prematurely on Monday at the Yashwantrao Chavan Memorial Hospital (YCMH). The girl was transferred to the short stay home on January 18. On January 31, MiD DAY carried a report on child rights activists suspecting a nexus between adoption centres and short stay homes after members of the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) found the girl being looked after by a caretaker of SOFOSH (Society of Friends of Sassoon Hospital). 

CWC members had at the time demanded to know whether a police case had been lodged. According to a medical officer who was present when the girl was admitted to YCMH on Saturday, a medico-legal case was filed after doctors suspected her to be a minor rape victim. After doctors made enquiries with the teenager, they informed the police about the case. 

Police Inspector Mohan Vidhate from the Bhosari police station said the girl was brought to the short stay home a month ago. "No case was registered as authorities at the short stay home in Moshi have declined to share details about her parents to us. The girl, too, is reluctant to share any details. So we are unable to register a rape case in this connection," Vidhate said. 

Explanation sought

Anita Vipat, a Child Welfare Committee member, had sought an explanation from the short stay home on why no police case had been registered. "The short stay home has the victim's address as the mother of victim had left her there, but it seems both mother and child do not want to share information about the assault on her," she said.

Dereliction of duty

Social worker Anjali Pawar, who was present at the general hospital when the victim's mother told the District Women and Child Development (DWCD) Officer a ghost had raped the teenaged girl, expressed displeasure over the fact that authorities at the institute, CWC members and DWCD Officer Suvarna Pawar had not registered a police complaint against an unknown person for the offence.

"The authorities at the institute where the girl was admitted by her mother and the Child Welfare Committee members have failed to perform their duty of giving protection and care to this girl. I am sure after the delivery, the girl will be sent back to her home and the question who abused her will remain unanswered forever," Pawar said. "Do all of them believe that the girl indeed was raped by a ghost? All these responsible authorities are denying justice to the rape victim and are unknowingly supporting her abuser."

Astrologer held for molesting housewife

TNN | Feb 18, 2012, 03.53AM IST

(Link: http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-02-18/kolkata/31074418_1_astrologer-complaint-lodge

Accessed on February 24, 2012)

KOLKATA: Police on Friday arrested an astrologer for allegedly molesting a 32-year-old housewife on February 7. The mother-in-law of the woman stopped her from lodging a complaint all this while to avoid public scrutiny. But a complaint was finally lodged with Parnashree police station on February 16 after the victim's brother convinced her to stand against the assault.

When the victim consulted the astrologer - identified as Anirban Nandy alias Anirban Shastri - for the recovery of her partially paralysed child, she was asked to visit his residence for a special process on February 7, an auspicious Maghi Purnima night. Accompanied by her ailing son and mother-in-law, she went to the astrologer's Parnashree home on the appointed date. They were promised a yagna for the recovery.

However, the victim was called into a room with the lure of a new amulet which could cure her child. When she went inside, the astrologer bolted the door from inside and tried to assault her.

Earlier, she used to go to visit his Dhakuria chamber when she was given an amulet which did not yield any result. So she was promised that the old amulet would be replaced with a new one. On February 4, she was contacted by the astrologer over phone and asked to come to his residence on February 7.

"After my sister entered the room, she was told that unless her unrequited passion is resolved, her problem will not be solved. Then he tried to molest her. But she managed to get out of the room. She informed her mother-in-law about the incident, but she advised her not to lodge a complaint to evade public humiliation," said Sourabh Basu Mullick, brother of the victim.

Depressed, the victim went to her parental home on February 13 and shared her ordeal with her family. "We told her that she must lodge a complaint. Why did she have to suppress this crime? She agreed to lodge a complaint with police," said Basu Mullick.

Assembly elections: Predict winners and win Rs 1 crore!

(Neel Kamal, TNN | Feb 20, 2012,  Times of India: Link: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Assembly-elections-Predict-winners-and-win-Rs-1-crore/articleshow/11967278.cms?intenttarget=noAccessed on February 24, 2012)

BARNALA: Predict which party is winning how many seats in the assembly elections in five states and win prize of Rs one crore. This may seem amazing but it is true.

Tarksheel(rational) society, formed to get people out of the clutches of superstitions and inculcate scientific approach, has challenged the astrologers, fortune tellers to predict winners in the ongoing assembly polls and win Rs one crore.

Term it a gimmick or a challenge but Tarksheel society Bharat has announced to award Rs one crore and has put the challenge on social networking sites such as facebook.

The only condition is that the winner will have to predict correctly at least 24 out of a total of 30 varied questions such as who will be next CM in Punjab, UP, Goa, Manipur, Uttrakhand, how many seats each party SAD, Congress, BJP will win in Punjab, how many seats BSP, SP, Congress, BJP, RLD, JD(U) will win in UP, how many votes PS Badal, Amarinder Singh, Sukhbir Badal, Rajinder Kaur Bhattal will obtain, with a error margin of 10%, how many women will win UP, what will be exact number of seats each party will win in Manipur, Uttrakhand and Goa.

Society founder Megh Raj Mittar said "the award has been floated to discourage astrologers from fooling people and claim that they have supernatural powers".

Mittar said anyone is free to predict but if more than one person predicts rightly, the award money will be divided and neatly typed or printed answers could be sent by March 4 before poll results are announced on March 6.

Mittar said all the questions are compulsory to answer and anyone wanting to participate in this test will have to deposit a fee of Rs one thousand.

Society publishes scientific magazine Vigyan Jyot and also runs a campiagn to encourage people to donate their body after death for medical research purposes.