A doctor allegedly raped his teenage patient after her parents failed to pay for her treatment. The shocking news comes from India's northern state of Bihar, which is considered as one of the most backward states in the country in terms of literacy and development.
It was reported that the 16-year-old girl from an underprivileged family belonging to the lowest caste in the class hierarchy in India, was sexually violated in the private clinic in Jamui district near the state capital of Patna.
The family members said the doctor started demanding an exorbitant amount of money for the treatment. However, when the family failed to pay him, he dragged the young girl into his cabin and raped her. "The doctor came to us at the dead of night and sought to clear the dues. On our refusal to pay the dues, he dragged my daughter in his chamber and raped her," said the victim's parents to the police, according to Gulf News.
The girl was taken to the private clinic after she swallowed pesticide mistaking it as cough syrup while she was suffering from cold and cough. Her family is also very poor and struggle to make their ends meet by seeing medicinal twigs, which people use as a toothbrush in villages.
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According to the news website, police said on Monday that a case has been registered and the victim is being medically examined. If the medical reports and other investigation suggest that the girl has been raped, action will be taken against the accused doctor, said Chandeshwar Paswan, a local police officer.
Rape and other crimes against women have become epidemic in India. The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) of India suggests a reported rape rate of 2 per 100,000 people, which is much lower than what local media report. The NCRB reports that according to 2013 annual report, 24,923 rape cases were reported across India in 2012. The New Indian Express reported that 2015 witnessed a reduction in crime against women. The news agency sighted the NCRB reports to show that there has been a 3.1% decrease and 3,27,394 cases under the head of Crimes against Women have been registered compared to 3,37,922 cases in 2014.
