'Shaken my soul': Kejriwal visits 13-yr-old sexual assault survivor, says will ensure strict punishment in case

Expressing shock over the sexual assault on a 13-year-old in Delhi’s Paschim Vihar, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that the incident has “shaken” his soul and promised to ensure strict punishment for the accused.

“The news of a violent crime with a 13-year-old girl has shaken the soul from inside. Criminals should not be allowed to roam around freely,” Kejriwal said on Thursday.

Kejriwal also visited the AIIMS hospital in Delhi on Thursday to inquire about the health condition of the teenage girl.

According to the police, the 12-year-old girl was was sexually assaulted and hit with a sharp object by the accused on the face and head at her Paschim Vihar home on Tuesday evening. ANI said that the girl was taken to Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital and later referred to AIIMS. The police have registered a case under relevant provisions of the POCSO Act. Talking to reporters, the chief minister said the condition of the girl was serious, adding that he spoke to Police Commissioner SN Srivastava, who told him that the police are trying to nab the accused.

He also said the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government will ensure strict punishment for the accused by engaging the best lawyers in the case.

“Doctors are doing their best to save her life. Her condition is very serious. We hope that she recuperates and gets discharged from the hospital….

“The government will provide a Rs 10-lakh compensation to the girl’s family,” Kejriwal said.

Earlier in the day, Delhi Commission For Women (DCW) Chairperson Swati Maliwal visited the girl at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here and accused the police of delay in arresting the accused.

She said the girl’s condition was serious and doctors were not sure whether she would survive.

“The girl has multiple head fractures and bite marks all over her body. She has been brutally assaulted to the extent that every body part has injury marks,” Maliwal said.

Despite the brutal nature of the assault, two days have passed since the incident and the police have not arrested the accused yet, she pointed out.

“I am summoning the DCP. I am going to ask him about the investigation,” Maliwal had said.

Meanwhile, Congress workers staged a protest at AIIMS against the Delhi government over crime against women in the national capital.

With inputs from agencies