Raped by two at religious seminary, 11-year-old Indian girl claims

A cleric, one of the suspects, has been detained

An 11-year-old Indian girl recovered from a Sahibabad religious seminary on Sunday claims she was raped by two while being held there, Times of India reported.



In her statement before a magistrate, the minor said “on April 21 she stepped out of her house to go to a shop when another girl, a neighbour, called her over to meet a friend. This is when she met the accused juvenile who took her to Sahibabad.”

The girl added that “the accused 17-year-old and the maulvi at the madrassa would lock her in a room after sexually assaulting her. Her cries for help went unheard as classes would be held in the adjacent room.” She said “a few other people had also touched her inappropriately.” Authorities are trying to ascertain their identities too.

Policemen found the child lying on the seminary's first floor while mounting a rescue operation. The room where she was held was used by the cleric to rest between classes. A probe is being conducted to determine if he abducted other children too, police said.



The cleric has been detained. Police will also question the 17-year-old.

The juvenile told officials he read at the seminary. He said he had gotten to know the victim when her family was based in Sahibabad. The teenager said he had decided to dupe her after the family relocated to Ghazipur.

Map showing the distance between Ghazipur where the 11-year-old girl lives with her family and Sahibabad where she was found and rescued in the madrassa. PHOTO: SMC REALTY

Separately, relatives of the victim staged a protest at the Ghazipur police station. They demanded the swift arrest of those suspected of being involved in the case.  “We are conducting an inquiry into the allegations. The medical reports are awaited and further action will be taken on their basis,” Joint Commissioner of Police Alok Kumar told the TOI.



The girl’s uncle said the victim had undergone a second medical examination after the allegations were aired. He said she had been sent to a children's home for counselling on Wednesday.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Delhi chief Manoj Tiwari also called on the family of the victim.

This article originally appeared in the Times of India.