In a horrific incident, a three-year-old girl was sexually assaulted and brutally tortured with needles by her mother's employer, in West Bengal. The elderly man who has been identified as Sanatan Thakur inserted several needles into her body.
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The minor whose mother works as a maidservant for the accused is a resident of West Bengal's Purulia district. The victim was admitted to the SSKM hospital on Saturday with needle injuries and a broken arm. However, the child could not be operated upon on Sunday as she was still traumatised by the incident.
"There are as many as seven needles forced into the child's body. The needles could not be taken out as it may cause further damage to her body. She is kept under observation," a hospital source was quoted as saying by the Times of India.
The police said they have a lodged a case under Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act against Thakur who is a former home guard.
The incident came to light when the doctors of the Bankura Medical College found several external injuries on her body including the ones made with the needles after the victim's mother had taken her for a check-up on Saturday.
Meanwhile, the accused Thakur is still absconding. All stations have been alerted about the matter, the police said.
Despite strict laws existing in India, sexual assaults against children have been escalating every day.
According to data compiled by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) for 2015, 8,800 cases of rape on children were registered across the country under the Protection of Children Against Sexual Offences Act (POCSO). In 2,227 cases, or 25.3 per cent, the offenders were found to be employers or co-workers.
