This 18-year-old girl has been living a nightmare for the past seven months. Now she's in the Capital to fight the system that has failed her so far

She is six months pregnant but doesn't know who the father of the unborn child is. 18-year-old Puja (name changed), who is from a lower caste family, was happy with her simple existence in Assyai village of Etawah district in Uttar Pradesh.


Fight for justice: Puja (name changed) was allegedly kidnapped, raped
and sold by a village Pradhan in UP. Pic/Imtiyaz Khan

But on August 14, 2010, her life changed forever. Puja was kidnapped by three guys from her neighbouring village Doraiya. She was held captive for three days and the village Pradhan of Doraiya allegedly raped her along with his accomplices.

"Two girls who are close to the Pradhan Sanjeev Mishra aka Sanju came to me and took me to the neighbouring village for a walk. Then three men arrived on a bike and they took me to a house. They locked me up in there. On the night of August 14 Sanjeev Mishra came to the place where I was held captive and then they took me in their car forcibly. They blindfolded me so I wasn't able to see where they were taking me. They stopped at an isolated place.

Then Sanjeev and the three others raped me one after another. Then they again blindfolded me and took me back to the place where I was help captive and this routine continued till August 16," Puja said. Meanwhile the victim's family contacted the police so that she could be located. But the cops allegedly didn't register the FIR till August 28. "I went to the police station to seek some help but the cops didn't respond. Fourteen days later the police registered an FIR under sections of kidnapping, but they didn't bother to take action against the culprits as the Pradhan has strong political links and he is a BSP supporter," said Sanjay Pal, the father of the victim.

When the accused realised Puja's relatives had gone to the cops, they allegedly sold her to a person named Raju. "The Pradhan sold me for 70,000 rupees. Raju took me with him and he treated me the same way as the previous miscreants. Raju hauled me to Delhi and then took me back to his place. He kept me there for two months and then sold me to a guy named Ravi Yadav of Etah for 25,000 rupees. Ravi kept me for four months," Puja added.

The victim's family kept searching for her and they even forwarded applications along with the copy of the FIR to senior police officials and the CM's office in UP but no one responded. "We kept trying and we visited the police station Raja ka Rampur every day. We contacted senior police officials, but all in vain," Sanjay added.
When the matter went to the district court of Etah on February 17th 2011, the accused produced the victim in court but allegedly threatened her of dire consequences if she spoke against them.

"The day they took me to the court they threatened me in various ways. They said that my family members will kill me because I am pregnant and I don't even know about the father of the baby. The Pradhan warned me saying if I said anything against them then he would shoot me. They even forcibly took my signature on papers and declared me married with one of my buyers, Ravi Yadav.

I am six months pregnant. How can I be married to a guy who kept me for just four months? Sanjeev Mishra wrote his mobile number on my hand and told me to call him. However I narrated each and everything in court and the court ordered me to go with my parents. But the Pradhan and his accomplices got angry and started threatening us.

I realised that before we can think of taking any action against them I have to leave my village because of the threat to my life and I came to Delhi and took shelter in my uncle's house," Puja added. The victim's family is going to file a complaint in the National Commission for Women in Delhi today. The village Pradhan Sanjeev Mishra could not be reached for reactions.

She's not alone
' On February 25, a 20-year-old girl lodged an FIR of rape against NCP MLA Dilip Wagh of Pachora in Jalgaon District of Maharashtra. The MLA was arrested from Mumbai and sent for police custody till March 3. The girl alleged that the MLA called her on February 21 in a guest house saying that he will provide her a job and raped her.
'u00a0The BSP MLA from Banda District of Uttar Pradesh is also facing charges of raping a minor girl. Purushottam Naresh Dwiwedi and his accomplice are currently in jail. The MLA allegedly raped a minor girl in his residence last December. A PIL has also been filed in this case in the Allahabad High court which has to be heard on March 11. This rape case took a political turn when Rahul Gandhi visited the victim. The girl was allegedly jailed in a false case of theft by the accused MLA.
' A school principal Rupam Pathak allegedly stabbed Bihar BJP MLA Raj Kishore Keshri to death in full public view in his residence in Purnia, Bihar.Keshri was killed at the former's residence at Sipahi Tola on January The accused later revealed to the cops that the MLA was raping her for a long time and she had no other way to take revenge.