Thalassery:
When a 13-year-old class 8 student in Kerala's Kannur refused to go home after school and would incessantly cry, her teachers discovered a shocking tale of abuse. The child was allegedly raped over the last two years by her father, her 15-year-old brother and her uncle.
The teachers called the police and the two men have been arrested and a case of rape has been registered against them; the boy has been sent to a juvenile home. The girl is now housed at a home run by the Child Welfare committee where she will be counseled.
But tales of horror continue to emerge. The police have now found that the victim's older sister died two years ago - she allegedly committed suicide. An investigation has been opened to find out if she too was abused by the men of the house. The child has reportedly told her teachers that the sister killed herself to escape similar abuse.
The family is poor. The girl's mother works as coolie, said KC Rosakutty, who heads the Kerala Women's Commission which is overseeing investigations in the case. The commission has offered to take the girl under its care. Ms Rosakutty also said that it might write to the chief minister for an enquiry into the elder sister's death.
"This is a shocking case of two minor sisters being raped by family members. The police say the elder sister committed suicide. But this needs to be probed as no proper inquiry was done," Ms Rosakutty said.
(With PTI inputs)