Earlier this month, the Bombay High Court refused to grant bail to a man accused of sexually harassing and abetting the suicide of his 17-year old niece.
The court reportedly said that society has failed to produce an environment wherein parents, teachers, and adults in the company of the child can recognize the signs of abuse and make sure children receive care and protection."
The incident took place last year on September 6. The seventeen-year-old jumped from her fourth-floor balcony of a high-rise building located in Pune.
The girl's mother, after three months, filed a complaint with the Bhosari police station. She alleged that the accused had abetted the suicide of her daughter by harassing her daughter through messages.
As per the incident narrated by the mother, she said that during the 2018 Board Examination, her daughter visited the man in Aurangabad. The accused, who happens to be the cousin brother of her daughter's father, touched the victim's private parts.
Later, he kept sending her "dirty messages" over Whatsapp. The victim saved the screenshots on her phone; however, she did not disclose anything to her family.
The victim's friend, who was aware of the incident, asked the mother if she knew about the incident. The mother inquired about the same to her daughter, and the victim showed the screenshots. Mother kept the phone on the bed and followed her daughter. By the time she followed, the victim had already jumped from the balcony.
The accused was refused bail, and the bench said that sexual violence knows no boundaries. "The fear of stigma, not being believed and being blamed, found her in a precarious situation, left her isolated and insecure, and which persuaded her to end her life," said the bench.
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