Forced to undergo sex-change surgery, a 13-year-old boy was raped and abused for years by four. The horrifying incident has been reported in northeast Delhi. According to the Delhi Commission for Women or DCW, the boy met the accused at a dance event in Laxmi Nagar about three years ago.
Shubham (name changed) and the accused became friends. The accused took Shubham on the excuse of teaching him to dance. For sometimes Shubham took part in the dance programs and he was also given some money by the accused. Later, the accused told Shubham that he will have to live and work with his group now.
Shubham for long was kept under the influence of narcotics and then, made him forcefully undergo gender reassignment surgery when he was 13.
According to Shubham, they gave him hormones after the operation, which sped up his body transition.
The accused and his friends gang-raped Shubham, and was also raped by other customers, the DCW said. They made him beg as a eunuch at traffic signals. Shubham said that the accused too used to wear women's clothes, assault people and take their money.
Shubham was threatened to not disclose about all this or he and his family would be killed.
A few months later, another boy that Shubham knew was brought there. Shubham knew him as a catering assistant where he performed as a dancer.
When Shubham was sent to the market by the accused, he would go meet his mother, but he did not go to the police out of fear.
But after the COVID-19 lockdown was imposed in March last year, Shubham and his friend managed to escape and went to Shubham's mother.
Shubham’s mother arranged a rented house where both the boys and Shubham's parents and brothers started living.
The accused somehow managed to get their address in December and as they reached their house, they assaulted them brutally and stole the little money they had. While they took back Shubham and the boy and raped them again; Shubham’s mother was also warned at a gunpoint by the accused.
Shubham and his friend after two days were able to flee again and hid at the New Delhi railway station.
The next day, a lawyer found the children there and were brought to the DCW.
Shubham said that he had met a few policemen, earlier, who had pressured him to not file a complaint, saying that if a case were filed, he too would have to go to jail.
The DCW took prompt action and had a First Information Report or FIR registered including charges under the child sex abuse law.
Two of the accused have been arrested and a search for others is on.
The DCW said it is providing legal aid to both the survivors and is also working for their rehabilitation and protection.