In an extremely shocking case, an octogenarian lady has been reportedly raped and injured in Katahare village of Ilam. The elderly woman, aged 83, was raped by an unknown person on Sunday night. According to Pashupatinagar Area Police Office, she has been receiving medical treatment at Birta City Hospital and her health is said to be in normal condition now. According to police, she was alone at her home when the accused stormed in and attacked her. In the course of struggle, she was hurt. Her tongue has been injured. “She was all alone at home. Somebody went inside her bedroom at night with the intention of raping her. She was injured and probably raped, but the report is yet to confirm it. This was revealed when her daughter spotted her in injured state the next morning,” stated police inspector Shiva Bahadur Budhathoki. Budhathoki further said that the house was not concrete and so it was vulnerable. The unknown assailant is said to have got into the room at 10 pm and took the old woman under control. “As the daughter found her in a disturbed state in the morning, she rushed her to hospital. She has filed a rape case, but the medical report has not come yet,” he said. The incident took place on Sunday. The next day the victim's daughter had filed the case at police station. She had gone to the station with a team that included ward member of Rong Rural Municipality - 1, Buddhi Bahadur Dhakal. Due to some family issues, the old lady used to live alone while her husband and son lived elsewhere. “She is too old and feeble. She cannot even move properly on her own. She crawls around using her hands and all the locals are well aware about it. We also tried to find out whether she had any kind of enmity with others, but there was no such issues,” inspector Budhathoki reported. On the basis of the victim's description, a 23-year-old man has been taken under custody by the police. Investigation is underway, according to Budhathoki. “We took her statement right at the hospital. She told that she was raped by an unknown young man,” Budhathoki said. “We are waiting for medical report,” he added. Even though rape cases are getting rampant, rape of an octogenarian has brought to the fore the magnitude of the problem. “Though this is still under investigation, this is indeed shocking. It is a rare case for a woman of that age to be raped,” Budhathoki stated. उमेरले ६५ वर्ष कटेपछि नागरिक वृद्धावस्थामा पुग्छ। सरकारले समेत ६५ वर्षमाथिको उमेर समूहका ज्येष्ठ नागरिकलाई सम्मानपूर्वक सामाजिक सुरक्षा भत्तासमेत दिएर संरक्षण गरेको छ। तर, जिल्लाको रोङ गाउँपालिकाकी ८३ वर्षीया वृद्धा ‘बलात्कृत’ भएको खबरले सबैलाई अचम्मित तुल्याएको छ। घरमा एक्लै सुतिरहेकी रोङ गाउँपालिका–१, कटहरेकी वृद्धा गत आइतबार राति अपरिचित व्यक्तिबाट बलात्कृत भएकी हुन्। बलात्कार गर्ने उद्देश्यले आएका युवकको जबरजस्तीले उनको जिब्रोमा चोटसमेत लागेको प्रहरीले जनाएको छ। पीडित वृद्धा अहिले झापाको बिर्तासिटी अस्पतालमा उपचारत रहेको र उनको अवस्था सामान्य रहेको पशुपतिनगरस्थित इलाका प्रहरी कार्यालयले जनाएको छ। प्रहरीका अनुसार राति १०–११ बजेतिर छाप्रो घरमा सुतिरहेकी वृद्धा चिच्याएको आवाज आएपछि नजिकैको अर्काे घरमा सुतिरहेका छोरा गएर हेर्दा उनलाई घाइते अवस्थामा भेटेका थिए। ‘छोराले भेट्दा वृद्ध आमा जिब्रोमा चोटले घाइतले भेटिइन्,’ पशुपतिनगर प्रहरीका इन्स्पेक्टर शिवबहादुर बुढाथोकीले भने, ‘तर, उनले लगाएको लुगा–कपडा च्यातिएको भने थिएन।’ पीडित वृद्धाकै छोरीले भोलिपल्ट उपचारका लागि अस्पताल लगेको बुढाथोकीले बताए। ‘बलात्कृत भएको हो या होइन भन्ने चिकित्सकको रिपोर्ट आएको छैन,’ इन्स्पेक्टर बुढाथोकीले भने, ‘तर, उनकी छोरीले वृद्ध आमाको यो घटनामा जबरजस्ती करणी उद्योगमा मुद्दा दर्ता गरेकी छिन्।’ घटनाको सूचना आएपछि इन्स्पेक्टर बुढाथोकी नेतृत्वकै प्रहरी टोलीले १७ गते घटनास्थल पुगेर अनुसन्धान गरेको छ। रोङ गाउँपालिका १ का वडाध्यक्ष बुद्धिबहादुर ढकालसहित घटनास्थल पुगेको टोलीले वृद्धा र उनका परिवारको घरायसी सम्बन्ध राम्रो रहेपनि वृद्धा एउटा घरमा र उनका पति र छोरा चाहिँ अर्कै घरमा सुत्ने गरेको पाएको छ। ‘वृद्धा अलि अशक्त भएकाले हात टेकेर हिँड्ने गर्नुभएको रहेछ, गाउँ–घरमा अनुसन्धान गर्दा कसैसँग नराम्रो भएको पनि सुनिएन,’ उनले भने। वृद्धाको बयानका आधारमा प्रहरीले २३ वर्षे युवकलाई पक्रेको छ। युवकमाथि अनुसन्धान भइरहेको प्रहरीले जनाएको छ। ‘वृद्धालाई अस्पतालमै पुगेर बयान लिँदा उनले २३ वर्षे युवकले आफूलाई हातले निमोठेर ओठमा चोट लागेको बताएकी छिन्,’ इन्स्पेक्टर बुढाथोकीले भने, ‘स्त्री रोग विशेषज्ञले महिलाको शारीरिक अवस्था जाँच गरेका छन्, रिपोर्ट आउन बाँकी छ।’ जिल्लामा महिलाहरू बलात्कृत हुने गरेको घटना सार्वजनिक भइरहेपनि यतिको वृद्धावस्थामा महिला बलात्कृत भएको घटना बाहिर आएको थिएन। ‘८३ वर्षको उमेरमा वृद्धा बलात्कृत भएको सूचना आउनु अनौठो हो,’ बुढाथोकीले भने, ‘हुन त घटना प्रमाणित भएको छैन तर यो आशयको घटना नै नौलो हो।’