Panchayat asks rape victim to accept Rs 50,000, undergo abortion

Patna: A panchayat in Bihar's Kisanganj district has issued a diktat to a gangrape victim, who is now seven months pregnant, to undergo an abortion by accepting Rs 50,000, police said on Thursday.

The 16-year old girl, who hails from a minority community, has alleged in her complaint that she was raped by four brothers seven months back and now she is seven months pregnant, police said.

She also alleged that when she approached local Packola Palashani panchayat, about 25 km from Kisanganj district, in this regard, the village body suggested her to reconcile by accepting Rs 50,000 and undergo abortion.

"The police are conducting raids to arrest four brothers accused of raping the girl," Sweta Gupta, Officer in-charge of the women's police station, Kisanganj and the investigating officer of the case, said.

The girl's father works as a labourer in Rajasthan to support his family of six. Kishanganj, a minority-dominated district, is one of the most backward regions in Bihar with high poverty rate and low levels of literacy.