Uttar Pradesh rape victim’s medical report ‘inconclusive’

LUCKNOW - The medical report of a 17-year-old girl, who was allegedly gangraped by a ruling Bahujan Samaj Party legislator and his cohorts in Uttar Pradesh’s Banda district, was stated to be “inconclusive”. The report has been given to police, an official said Monday.

Confirming that the report, given to police Sunday night, contained “nothing substantive”, Banda Chief Medical Officer M.P. Singh parried queries on the issue.

He told IANS over telephone from Banda: “I did not see the report as it was sent directly to the police.” However, inquiries revealed that the report was signed by him.

A local activist alleged that most officials were trying to shield legislator Purshottam Narain Dwivedi and others allegedly involved in the gangrape.

“The cops refused to take cognizance of the complaint initially made by the victims father and members of the special medical panel are apparently scared of stating the truth in the medical report, said Sampath Rai, an activist working for women’s organisation Gulabi Gang.

Legal experts were of the view that a long gap between rape and collection of vaginal swab of the victim was unlikely to reveal anything in medical report.

Jurist Balraj Chauhan, vice chancellor of Ram Manohar Lohia Avadh University, said: Medico-legal examination of a rape victims must be done as soon as possible, because there was every chance of secretions getting washed away.”

That may be the the reason why members of the medical panel chose to leave ambiguity in their report, he added.

Her estimated age in the medical report was shown as above 15. As per police records, the victim’s age was 22 years.

Madhu Garg, a woman rights activist, said the victim was unlikely to be more than 16-17 years of age”.

The first sample for the girls medical examination was taken Dec 20, 2010 - exactly 11 days after she had remained under the legislators illegal confinement. The panel for medical examination was appointed Dec 31, 2010.

The local police took cognizance of the complaint made by the victims father after the issue was raised by state Congress president Rita Bahuguna Joshi and Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav Dec 29.

Criticism by opposition leaders drew the attention of Chief Minister Mayawati who eventually ordered a Criminal Investigation Department probe and suspended Dwivedi from her party Jan 2 for his alleged involvement in the gangrape.

The 17-year-old victim had accused Dwivedi and his henchmen of not only subjecting her to gangrape but also implicating her in a case of theft.

Dwivedi accused her of stealing his licensed revolver and Rs.5,000 from his house, for which she was lodged in jail in Banda, 180 km from Lucknow.