Rape and murder of Dushanthini
By Azra Ameen and Amila Jayasinghe
‘Amma’ was the last word she uttered. Six-year-old Krishna Kumar Dushanthini struggled for her life as she was raped by her uncle (16) and two others, who were drunk at the time.
Dushanthini, a Grade 1 student of Ramakrishna Vidyalaya, has one elder brother, Krishanthan (11) a Grade 7 student of the same school. Her father, Krishna Kumar works at a petrol station, whilst the mother, Queen Mary, is a maid.
It was late evening on Saturday (30) when Dushanthini had been dressed for the church feast on Siddhartha Road. She was accompanied by her brother, S. Krishanthan and her mother, Queen Mary. They left home at around 8:00 p.m. and proceeded to the church.
“After finishing prayers, the children wanted to go to my aunt’s house on Siddhartha Road. I was not willing to go as my husband, Krishna Kumar was at home. But, since my children made a request I took them there. As usual we were seated in the hall and having a chat when I saw the aunty’s son loitering around the place. Then Dushanthini asked me to take her back to the church as she was hungry and wanted to eat rice, which was distributed there. I told her I will take her but was busy talking to the aunt,” Queen Mary recalled.
Fond of uncle
Dushanthini was really fond of her uncle Surendra, who was called ‘Bolle’ by the family members. Fifteen minutes had elapsed when the mother discovered her daughter had gone missing. The worried mother then questioned her aunt’s daughter whether she had seen Dushanthini. She then said her brother Surendra had taken her to get food from the church.
“She assured me the child had gone with the brother, I was relieved. My daughter was always fond of her uncle; she never went out with strangers. Even when my neighbours called her to go out, she never went with them, but whenever she saw her uncle she always tagged along with him. However, on this day, neither Dushanthini nor her uncle returned. I was worried. I asked my son to go and look for his sister at the church. My son came and said he could not locate her. So I told my son to go and tell his father that she was missing,” said Dushanthini’s mother recalling the events that unfolded on that fateful day.
Dushanthini’s father, Krishna Kumar, said he was sleeping at home when his son woke him up and said his sister was missing.
“I was shocked and I thought my son was joking, but he was quite serious about the matter. Then I rushed to the Siddhartha Road house. Standing in front of the doorstep I saw my wife crying out loud calling my daughter’s name,” he said.
“I called my friends and went in search of my daughter, but I could not find her. Then, I complained to the Kirillapone Police. Around 12 midnight, the police informed us that there was a body floating in the canal in Narahenpita. I rushed to the spot and found my little daughter floating in the water like a dead fish. I could not believe my eyes,” he added.
He said that soon afterwards his daughter was rushed to the Kalubowila hospital.
In shock
The parents are still in shock over the death of their only daughter. They said the police had told them that their daughter was brutally raped by three people. The rapists were later identified as her uncle and two other teenagers. The rapists had confessed that the girl was raped and was thrown into the canal alive.
“When we went to the canal where my daughter was found dead, people in the vicinity told us they heard a child screaming out ‘Amma’. However, no one had gone to the child’s assistance. My daughter had drowned in the water. She was my only girl and I loved her so much. I gave her all what she wanted. I earn a living by working as a maid. All what I earned was spent on my two children. How could her own uncle rape her and throw her into the canal,” she asked.
When Ceylon Today spoke to some of the neighbours of Krishna Kumar, they said they are in shock and could not believe this could happen to a small girl who was once active and used to play around in the morning with other children.
S. Farzana who is an immediate neighbour said she had seen Surendra visiting the house often.
“These few days that guy has been coming in regularly. I think the suspects were inebriated, which had resulted in them losing their senses,” she said.
She also said this was the first time was the history of the Kirillapone project area that this type of gruesome incident had taken place.
“The whole neighbourhood is quite shocked about what happened. Yesterday the suspect’s parents came to see the dead child, but the father was not willing to show them the body. This girl was really fond of her uncle. When we called her to go out she would never come, but when her uncle called her she would go. I am sure the girl had been molested before as well,” she said.
“Now we are afraid to allow our own children to go out alone or even to send them with relatives. What happened to Dushanthini today can happen to my child tomorrow,” Farzana said.
Body in canal
Attending the funera, A.A.D. Sugath Kumara, Member of the Colombo Municipal Council said, “The incident happened on Saturday, the victim had wanted to attend the event that was being held at a Church in Mayura Place and therefore had gone to her aunt’s place. From there she had gone to the church with her uncle, but she had never gone into the church. When her family had noticed that she was missing they had sent a message to the church. The church had then made an announcement through loudspeakers. Later a person who had heard a girl screaming had immediately informed the Narahenpita Police. Then the police had been able to trace the girl and her was found floating in the canal. Her body was later pulled out with the assistance of the Navy.”
He also said children between the age group of 15 to 20 are now introduced to a world of drugs and alcohol.
“I presume the government should raise awareness towards this,” he said.
Meanwhile, the victim’s aunt (mother’s sister) claimed the “rapist(uncle) had practically told the victim’s father about the incident once the body was discovered and brought to the Kalubowila Hospital. The girl had serious injuries on her face and body, especially in the abdomen area and her clothes were torn. She insisted the rapists be given maximum punishment.
Speaking to Ceylon Today, Police Media Spokesman S.P. Ajith Rohana said, the victim had been raped and dumped in the canal. According to the post mortem report given by the JMO, the victim had been sexually abused for a period of one month. The suspects have been produced before a magistrate. He said further investigations are being carried out.
‘Amma’ was the last word she uttered. Six-year-old Krishna Kumar Dushanthini struggled for her life as she was raped by her uncle (16) and two others, who were drunk at the time.
Dushanthini, a Grade 1 student of Ramakrishna Vidyalaya, has one elder brother, Krishanthan (11) a Grade 7 student of the same school. Her father, Krishna Kumar works at a petrol station, whilst the mother, Queen Mary, is a maid.
It was late evening on Saturday (30) when Dushanthini had been dressed for the church feast on Siddhartha Road. She was accompanied by her brother, S. Krishanthan and her mother, Queen Mary. They left home at around 8:00 p.m. and proceeded to the church.
“After finishing prayers, the children wanted to go to my aunt’s house on Siddhartha Road. I was not willing to go as my husband, Krishna Kumar was at home. But, since my children made a request I took them there. As usual we were seated in the hall and having a chat when I saw the aunty’s son loitering around the place. Then Dushanthini asked me to take her back to the church as she was hungry and wanted to eat rice, which was distributed there. I told her I will take her but was busy talking to the aunt,” Queen Mary recalled.
Fond of uncle
Dushanthini was really fond of her uncle Surendra, who was called ‘Bolle’ by the family members. Fifteen minutes had elapsed when the mother discovered her daughter had gone missing. The worried mother then questioned her aunt’s daughter whether she had seen Dushanthini. She then said her brother Surendra had taken her to get food from the church.
“She assured me the child had gone with the brother, I was relieved. My daughter was always fond of her uncle; she never went out with strangers. Even when my neighbours called her to go out, she never went with them, but whenever she saw her uncle she always tagged along with him. However, on this day, neither Dushanthini nor her uncle returned. I was worried. I asked my son to go and look for his sister at the church. My son came and said he could not locate her. So I told my son to go and tell his father that she was missing,” said Dushanthini’s mother recalling the events that unfolded on that fateful day.
Dushanthini’s father, Krishna Kumar, said he was sleeping at home when his son woke him up and said his sister was missing.
“I was shocked and I thought my son was joking, but he was quite serious about the matter. Then I rushed to the Siddhartha Road house. Standing in front of the doorstep I saw my wife crying out loud calling my daughter’s name,” he said.
“I called my friends and went in search of my daughter, but I could not find her. Then, I complained to the Kirillapone Police. Around 12 midnight, the police informed us that there was a body floating in the canal in Narahenpita. I rushed to the spot and found my little daughter floating in the water like a dead fish. I could not believe my eyes,” he added.
He said that soon afterwards his daughter was rushed to the Kalubowila hospital.
In shock
The parents are still in shock over the death of their only daughter. They said the police had told them that their daughter was brutally raped by three people. The rapists were later identified as her uncle and two other teenagers. The rapists had confessed that the girl was raped and was thrown into the canal alive.
“When we went to the canal where my daughter was found dead, people in the vicinity told us they heard a child screaming out ‘Amma’. However, no one had gone to the child’s assistance. My daughter had drowned in the water. She was my only girl and I loved her so much. I gave her all what she wanted. I earn a living by working as a maid. All what I earned was spent on my two children. How could her own uncle rape her and throw her into the canal,” she asked.
When Ceylon Today spoke to some of the neighbours of Krishna Kumar, they said they are in shock and could not believe this could happen to a small girl who was once active and used to play around in the morning with other children.
S. Farzana who is an immediate neighbour said she had seen Surendra visiting the house often.
“These few days that guy has been coming in regularly. I think the suspects were inebriated, which had resulted in them losing their senses,” she said.
She also said this was the first time was the history of the Kirillapone project area that this type of gruesome incident had taken place.
“The whole neighbourhood is quite shocked about what happened. Yesterday the suspect’s parents came to see the dead child, but the father was not willing to show them the body. This girl was really fond of her uncle. When we called her to go out she would never come, but when her uncle called her she would go. I am sure the girl had been molested before as well,” she said.
“Now we are afraid to allow our own children to go out alone or even to send them with relatives. What happened to Dushanthini today can happen to my child tomorrow,” Farzana said.
Body in canal
Attending the funera, A.A.D. Sugath Kumara, Member of the Colombo Municipal Council said, “The incident happened on Saturday, the victim had wanted to attend the event that was being held at a Church in Mayura Place and therefore had gone to her aunt’s place. From there she had gone to the church with her uncle, but she had never gone into the church. When her family had noticed that she was missing they had sent a message to the church. The church had then made an announcement through loudspeakers. Later a person who had heard a girl screaming had immediately informed the Narahenpita Police. Then the police had been able to trace the girl and her was found floating in the canal. Her body was later pulled out with the assistance of the Navy.”
He also said children between the age group of 15 to 20 are now introduced to a world of drugs and alcohol.
“I presume the government should raise awareness towards this,” he said.
Meanwhile, the victim’s aunt (mother’s sister) claimed the “rapist(uncle) had practically told the victim’s father about the incident once the body was discovered and brought to the Kalubowila Hospital. The girl had serious injuries on her face and body, especially in the abdomen area and her clothes were torn. She insisted the rapists be given maximum punishment.
Speaking to Ceylon Today, Police Media Spokesman S.P. Ajith Rohana said, the victim had been raped and dumped in the canal. According to the post mortem report given by the JMO, the victim had been sexually abused for a period of one month. The suspects have been produced before a magistrate. He said further investigations are being carried out.
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