Surat, Dec 19: Six months after a 17-year-old girl was raped by three men in Surat –jolting the city with outrage — another Surat schoolgirl, a 15-year-old, who had recently survived a three-day gangrape ordeal, set herself ablaze, on Friday.
The girl, Sheetal (not her real name), a standard VIII student, was kidnapped from outside her school on the evening of December 15. She was released by the rapists on Thursday, and attempted suicide after she reached her Dindoli home on Friday. Her condition is said to be critical.
Sheetal’s family said that she was kidnapped by two men, Ranjit Choudhary (26) and Ravi (20). The two took her to the place where she was confined for three days, the location has not been identified yet, and raped her repeatedly. The rapists then dumped her at a railway track near Dindoli, late on Thursday night.
Although Sheetal has sustained more than 70% burns, she narrated her unspeakable torment told.
“Ranjeet and Ravi were waiting for me at the school gates at 5:30 pm that day,” she said. “They took me aside and slapped a chemical-drenched handkerchief on my face. I became unconscious, and when I came to, I found myself in some house. They raped me for three days.”After the rapists abandoned her, Sheetal managed to reach a friend’s house in Dindoli, where she was given shelter for the night. When Sheetal recounted her experience to her parents, they asked her to forget everything and concentrate on her studies.
“In the afternoon she attempted suicide and we found her in flames. We somehow extinguished the fire and brought her to the New Civil hospital,” said the victim’s father, Sudarshan. “Sheetal is constantly saying that she does not want to live anymore.” He said the police were not called when Sheetal went missing because the family did not want to “bring disgrace upon itself”.
He also said that the school authorities did not want the complaint to be lodged. Both rapists were arrested by the police late on Friday evening. Sources said that Ranjit is Sheetal’s neighbour and is employed in a looms unit.
Ravi, a Udhna Yard resident, works as a carpenter. Sources in the police said that Sheetal and Ravi had an affair a couple of years ago and he used to visit her at her home frequently.
–Agencies