Patna, Feb 22 (IANS) A rape victim from Bihar, tired of facing threats, humiliation and social ostracisation, has sought justice or permission to die from President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.

In a handwritten letter in Hindi addressed to the president, 16-year-old Kusum Kumari (named changed) has requested Kalam to intervene in getting her justice as she had lost hope in the local police. "Kalam chacha mujhe security aur nyay dila dein nahin to maut (Kalam uncle, help me to get justice or allow me to die)," she wrote.

Kusum is a resident of Patahi village in the Muzaffarpur district of Bihar, about 70 km from here. She was allegedly raped by a neighbour Jimmy Thakur who comes from an influential family.

Her plight worsened after she lodged a police complaint against Thakur, which led to his arrest. After investigating into her charges against Thakur the police had found the rape incident to be true.

In October last year when the police tried to speed up the trial of the case "Jimmy Thakur's father Anil Thakur, his relatives and people from his caste started putting pressure on my family to withdraw the case and threatened to eliminate us, but we refused," she said.

According to the FIR, Jimmy Thakur allegedly raped her on the night of Sep 27 last year. "I was raped at the point of a sharp-edged weapon and warned not to open my mouth," she added.

The threats and mental torture continue, said the girl who comes from an upper caste Brahmin family. Fear and social reaction forced her father to flee the village and she has stopped going to school.

Her father, a priest who earned a living by performing prayers in the houses of villagers, "was boycotted by people from Jimmy Thakur's caste as well as by others. This forced him to take shelter in another village to earn a living," said the girl.

Kusum has said that not only did Thakur's family and people from their caste regularly torture her, but her father, brothers and sister were also targeted and humiliated time and again in the last five months. "They threatened to repeat the incident with my younger sister," said Kusum.

More trouble came when the Thakur family's domestic help, a Dalit boy, lodged a case with the SC/ST police station in Hajipur against her father and sister saying they had beaten him.

Kusum is now awaiting a reply from President Kalam's office before taking any step.

However, the DIG of Tirhut range, Gupteshwar Pandey, said that he had ordered a probe into her allegations against Jimmy Thakur's family and others. The police would do everything to provide security to the rape victim and ensure a speedy trial of the case, he added.

"A police personnel had been deployed at her house. I asked the district superintendent of police to inquire into her fresh charges and take steps to protect her and her family," said Pandey.