 "A five-year-old girl was allegedly thrashed against the wall, bitten and raped by her 17-year-old neighbour in Shivpuri district. PTI")
Amid the outrage over the Pune bus rape case, a similar horrific incident has come to light in Madhya Pradesh.
A five-year-old girl was allegedly thrashed against the wall, bitten and raped by her 17-year-old neighbour in Shivpuri district.
The girl, found in a blood-soaked state on Sunday, is currently battling for her life in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Kamala Raja Hospital in Gwalior.
Doctors have said that the girl’s private parts were significantly damaged and a complex procedure to reconstruct the affected area had to be performed.
The accused has been arrested and is being tried as a juvenile, the police said.
Here’s all we know about it.
The incident
The shocking incident took place on February 22 when the accused, reportedly under the influence of alcohol, lured the girl from her home’s rooftop to an abandoned house nearby.
There, he reportedly banged her head against a wall while sexually assaulting her.
The survivor was spotted by her younger brother and other children, who also reportedly witnessed the accused, according to The Times of India.
The five-year-old was left in the abandoned house as he fled in response to their screams.
After more than two hours of searching, her parents discovered her in a pool of blood, unconscious.
After regaining consciousness, she told her parents that he did “terrible things” while holding her in his lap.
The police have apprehended the accused, who is being treated as a juvenile offender.
Family has demanded the accused be either hanged or shot at the crossroads.
Girl battling for her life in ICU
The child is reportedly battling for her life in the ICU at Gwalior’s Kamala Raja Hospital.
Doctors, who detected the girl’s injuries, found serious bite marks on her face and private areas.
At first, the girl’s condition was dire, the doctors said as they conducted a two-hour emergency operation.
The treating doctors were nearly certain she would not survive when she was admitted.
Because of the internal injuries, the team had to conduct a colostomy and put 28 stitches in her private areas.
Her private parts were badly damaged, and doctors told the local media that reconstructing those affected areas would need a complicated treatment.
According to reports, the girl is now conscious but has not spoken since the assault.
Also read: Over 370 million girls experienced rape, sexual assault before turning 18: Unicef
The outrage
The extreme violence brought down political differences, with the Congress and the BJP coming together to demand justice.
On Monday, members of both parties and locals gathered in the Shivpuri Collectorate, leading to a massive protest.
They asked that the accused be given a death sentence and tried in a fast-track court.
Additionally, they sent a memorandum demanding the same to the Superintendent of Police and the Collector.
Similar crime in Delhi
In a separate incident, a 15-year-old girl was allegedly raped multiple times over three years by her tuition teacher in Delhi’s Chittaranjan Park area.
The teacher, a neighbor in his 40s, was allegedly blackmailing, mentally harassing, and sexually assaulting the girl since 2022, when she was in Class 8.
The accused is a native of West Bengal who teaches science and mathematics to students at home.
The matter came to light when the girl, accompanied by her father, lodged a police complaint.
“The minor alleged that she had been attending tuition classes conducted by the accused since 2022. She alleged that the accused mentally harassed and raped her multiple times in the tuition centre,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Ankit Chauhan said.
The minor also detailed the mental trauma she endured, stating that the accused would humiliate and insult her whenever she objected to his actions.
“(He) created a huge mental pressure which disturbed me badly from my academics and also my personal life… he was… raping me multiple times and beating me badly. He also used to threaten me… that I will suffer from everywhere,” the survivor said in the FIR, according to Hindustan Times.
The minor’s father revealed that he discovered the abuse in December 2023 but delayed reporting it to authorities to avoid disrupting his daughter’s board exams.
Based on the complaint, a case was registered against the tutor under Section 64 (rape) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, the officer said.
The accused has been arrested.
The minor is currently receiving counselling, and her family is being supported as the investigation continues.
With inputs from agencies