Rape survivor seeks nod to abort, attempts suicide in court

DEHRADUN: A pregnant 25-year-old rape survivor from Budaun district in UP, who was seeking permission from a court in Roorkee, Uttarakhand, to abort the four-month-old foetus, is serious after consuming poison in the compound of the court.

The woman, who was employed in a private firm in Roorkee, took the drastic step moments before her case was to be heard. After the incident on Tuesday, she was first taken to a local hospital nearby and later referred to AIIMS- Rishikesh.

The main accused in the case, Mohammad Tayyab, was apprehended on November 11, with police revealing that the survivor faced pressure from her landlord and the accused's family to withdraw the case.

The woman, having relocated to a locality under Bhagwanpur police station limits in Roorkee earlier this year, met Tayyab, who under the false promise of marriage, engaged in physical relations with her. When he reneged on his commitment to wed, the woman filed a police complaint against him, only to discover that she was pregnant in the interim. The police filed a charge sheet against Tayyab on November 18.

Approaching the court for permission to terminate the pregnancy, the woman carried a pouch of poison, which she ingested moments before her case was scheduled for hearing.

State Women's Commission chairperson Kusum Kanwal has contacted the Haridwar police, directing a thorough investigation into the matter.

Inspector Sanjay Punia, acting SHO of Bhagwanpur police station, confirmed the woman is now "stable and under observation".