Ujjain Rape Case: People who failed to assist 12-year-old rape survivor may face charges

People who failed to respond to the 12-year-old rape survivor’s cries for help in Madhya Pradesh’s Ujjain may be held accountable under the child sex abuse laws, the police have said. A senior Madhya Pradesh police officer told NDTV that those people will be charged for “failing to report or register the commission” of a crime under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. Jayant Singh Rathore, an Additional Superintendent of Police (Ujjain) said that one such person, an autorickshaw driver named Rakesh Malviya, has been identified for knowingly not informing the police of the crime. “If more people are found, and it is clear they did not help (the girl) or did not inform the police, we will take legal action,” Rathore said. In a shocking video, the minor girl, who was seen knocking door-to-door to ask for help as she was soaked in blood, was shooed away by people. The Chief of Police, Sachin Sharma, said that the girl had Rs 120 in her hand which was given to her by people. Sharma said that while some people did help her with money, they might have had “reservations” on seeing her condition. “There were mixed responses. People in the localities she passed through had helped her. Some gave her Rs 50, others gave Rs 100. She crossed a toll booth on the way. The staff there gave her money and some clothes. At least 7-8 people tried to help,” he added. SIT to probe crime A Special Investigation Team has been found to investigate the case. The main accused, Bharat Soni, an auto-rickshaw driver, has been arrested for allegedly raping the girl. The father of the victim said that on September 24, the girl left her house for school as usual but after she failed to return home, the family filed a missing person’s report the next day. He added that the family could only know about their daughter’s plight after her uncle showed them a video of her roaming the streets of Ujjain.