A teenage girl in India defended herself against her rapist uncle by cutting off his penis with a knife. And local police are praising her for her courage.
Police in the Madhepura district of Bihar said the young woman, believed to be aged either 17 or 18, had already been raped last month by her uncle, who is known in the local area as a tantric and who performs rituals.
According to the Bihar Police crime statistics, 478 reported rapes occurred in the first five months of this year, with 130 rapes in May alone.
Initial reports from the Times of India stated the uncle of the girl was a tantric healer and that she was taken to see him when she became ill.
Claiming the girl was possessed by an evil spirit, he the proceeded to gag and rape her. But police later told the Independent that there was no attempt to “cure her” — it was just rape.
When he allegedly tried to assault her a second time, the young woman was prepared and had armed herself with a knife and a recording device.
She recorded a conversation between them, sliced off his penis and managed to escape.
The girl then reported what had happened to a village council. But when the council failed to tackle the matter to her satisfaction, the young woman contacted local women police officers.
Senior officer AK Singh, superintendent at the Alam Nagar police station, located around 200 miles east of the state capital, Patna, told The Independent that the alleged attacker had fled after the incident and that officers were looking for him. Minus a penis.
Asked whether any charges had been filed against the young woman, he replied: “Why should we file a case against her? We should applaud her bravery and courage.”
The latest case of assault in India comes amid a wave of publicity about sexual violence in India.
Many took to Twitter to praise the young woman for defending herself.
