Mandsaur: 8-Yr-Old Brutally Gang-Raped, Citizens Come Together Asking For Swift Justice

An eight-year-old girl was brutally gang-raped allegedly by 20-year-old Irfan alias Bhaiyyu Mev and 24-year-old Asif on June 26 in Mandsaur district of Madhya Pradesh. The child, after being raped, was abandoned in bushes in Lakshman Gate Locality. The accused also attempted to kill the victim by slitting her throat, however, she survived as the cuts were not too deep, reports The New Indian Express.

Both the accused have been nabbed by the police with help of the CCTV footage obtained. They have been booked under relevant sections of IPC and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

Brutal gangrape and attempt to murder

The victim is a student of a school located in Hafiz colony and on that fateful day, her father was just half an hour late to pick her up from school. When he reached the school, the school staff said that she was taken away by an unidentified man. Reportedly, the family of the victim was dissuaded by the school authorities from filing a case. Victim’s uncle told The Indian Express, “The school did not want us to approach the police either to lodge a missing person’s complaint immediately, to ensure it does not get a bad name.”

Cops swung into action after the case was brought to their notice on the same day. SP Mandsaur said, “Multiple teams were formed and tasked with tracking the minor at the earliest. After the girl was found abandoned in bushes near Lakshman Gate on Wednesday afternoon, CCTV footage was retrieved from one of the locations between the school and the bushes where the girl was found abandoned. A distance of over 500 meters separated the two spots.”

The victim sustained severe injuries. Doctors of the hospital where the victim is being treated said that the girl, when bought was in critical condition. The Hindustan Times reported that the doctors also found an object, possibly a rod or a wooden stick inserted brutally enough to draw out her entrails. The doctors took two-three hours to operate on her.

People come together asking for justice

Manoj Kumar Singh, Superintendent of Police, Mandsaur, told Firstpost that as soon as the pictures of the accused were made public, the police received 1000 calls, which helped them nab the culprit at the earliest.

On June 28, thousands of protesters marched towards the police station where the accused was detained, demanding the death penalty. On June 29, a total bandh was observed in the neighbouring Neemuch district. Thousands of people took out a march and even submitted a letter to the district administrator asking for the accused to be hanged for the crime.

Protests were also carried out in neighbouring districts of Sitamau and Malhargarh.

Consolidation of Muslim groups, the Sampurna Muslim Samaj wrote a letter to Madhya Pradesh governor Anandiben Patel and the district collector of Mandsaur asking for strict action against the rapist. They also said that accused would not be allowed to be buried in Mandsaur or Neemuch upon their death.

Shivraj Singh Chauhan, Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh has condemned the incident and said that the rapists were a “burden on the earth” and that the government will leave no stone unturned to ensure that the accused are hanged.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi too condemned the brutal crime through a tweet.

In Mandsaur, MP, an 8-year-old girl was kidnapped and gang raped, and is battling for her life. The brutality this young child was subjected to sickens me. As a nation, we must come together to protect our children and bring the attackers to speedy justice.

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) June 30, 2018

Reportedly, a BJP legislator Sudarshan Gupta asked the kin of the victim to ‘thank’ MP Sudhir Gupta for visiting them. Gupta, later issued an apology.

Also Read:

• Kathua: Police Say 8-Yr-Old Murdered And Raped To Frighten A Community
• Hindu Ekta Manch Takes Out Protest Rally In Support Of A Police Officer Accused Of Raping & Murdering An 8-Yr-Old