An eighth-grade girl who worked at a local factory died on Tuesday after battling pesticide poisoning. She had taken the extreme step because the man she respectfully called “uncle” — her own employer — raped her and threatened to kill her if she told anyone.
The factory owner used to give her lifts on his motorcycle. In late August, he took her to a forest near the factory on the pretext of work and assaulted her. Terrified, she kept silent for nearly two weeks. On September 9 she finally broke down and told her family. Her brother-in-law lodged a complaint the same day; police arrested the man the next morning. He has been in jail since.
But the shame and fear never left her. On October 24 she swallowed pesticide at home. Doctors fought for 18 days to save her, shifting her from Keshiary Rural Hospital to Kharagpur Sub-divisional Hospital, but she lost the battle on Tuesday.
Her family believes local taunts and the trauma pushed her to suicide. They want the accused charged with abetting her death. Police have opened a fresh case and promised a full investigation.
