Blind girl raped by 50 year old man

DHANGADI, June 19: A thirteen years old blind girl in Dhangadi has alleged that she was repeatedly raped by a 50 year-old man over the period of two years.



Raghubir Thagunna, a friend of the victim´s grandfather, raped her five times over the course of two years and threatened to kill her if she ever spoke about it with others.[break]



She kept quiet about the sexual abuse out of fear for her life but finally disclosed his name after she got pregnant through rape. The victim was studying in a school in Sisauya in Mahendranagar since 2009 and lived in a hostel for blind girls.



“I had just turned 12 in June 2009 and had planned to go home since school remained closed for vacation. He was my grandfather´s friend and offered to drop me home,” said the victim. While on the way, Thagunna told her that they could catch the bus only the next day and tricked her into spending the night in a hotel in Mahendranagar. “He then forced himself on me and when I tried to scream for help, he muzzled me. I cried the whole night, scared that he would kill,” she said.



“Thagunna came to the hostel on June 1 to take her out for a haircut. Since he had come along with her father at the time of admission earlier and was registered as her local guardian, I allowed her to go with him,” said Warden Bishnu KC. Thagunna had taken the victim to his house during school holidays in the past as well so there was no reason for her to be suspicious about it. A guardian is permitted to take their ward away any day of the week informed the warden.



As a warden of blind students, KC keeps a check on their menstrual cycle and when she found out that the victim had missed her periods, she started inquiring. “Finally after much questioning she told me about the abuse,” said KC. The news of the rape has scared other blind girls in the hostel.



Stating that she was raped on June 11, the principal of the school Yadav Joshi filed a complaint against Thagunna after verifying with the victim. He was immediately arrested after the complaint was filed.



According to police inspector Dhan Bahadur Kathyat, Thagunna, in his statement to the police, denied the act and insisted that he was set up by the warden of the hostel.

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