A 10-year-old girl in India’s Bihar state was brutally raped before her death. Her uncle claims she died due to delayed medical treatment, sparking widespread outrage.
The girl, whose name is not being released due to Indian law, died at the Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) on Sunday, June 11, 2023. Her uncle alleged that her condition worsened on Saturday, and she had to wait over four hours in an ambulance before being admitted to the hospital. However, PMCH officials denied these claims, calling them baseless.
The girl’s death has become a major news story, with opposition leaders criticizing the Bihar government, led by the BJP and JD-U parties, for their handling of the situation. The government has denied any wrongdoing.
The victim belonged to the Dalit community, the lowest rung of the Hindu caste system, who often face unfair treatment despite laws aimed at protecting them. The National Human Rights Commission and the National Commission for Women in India have condemned the incident and called for an investigation into the hospital’s role.
The girl was allegedly raped on May 26 by a man who lived near her aunt’s house in Muzaffarpur. The suspect has been arrested and is being investigated. On the day of the incident, the girl had gone missing after playing outside her house. Her family found her injured near a road, and police said she had multiple stab wounds.
Initially, she was taken to a local hospital before being referred to the Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH), about 85 km from Patna. Dr. Kumari Vibha, the director of SKMCH, told the BBC that the girl had multiple injuries, including to her head, chest, and neck, and was in critical condition. She needed to be transferred to PMCH for tracheal repair surgery.
However, the girl’s uncle claimed that after waiting for four hours in an ambulance, she was shuttled between departments at PMCH before finally being admitted to the gynecology ward. The hospital denied these allegations, stating that the family had initially taken the girl to the pediatric department before she was referred to the ear, nose, and throat department due to her injuries. Since the hospital lacked an ICU in the ENT department, she was transferred to the gynecology ICU instead.
PMCH also confirmed that the girl was brought to the hospital in an advanced life support ambulance equipped with critical care equipment and denied that she had to wait for hours in the ambulance before being admitted.
Source: BBC