MP Shocker: Mentally challenged minor girl raped, faces people's apathy

Bhopal, Sep 27 (IANS) In a shocking case in Madhya Pradesh's Ujjain, a mentally-challenged minor girl was brutally raped, and faced people's apathy as she was left semi-naked on the roadside seeking help.

In a viral footage, the victim, who was in a semi-naked condition and bleeding, was seen approaching a man for help, who shoos her away.

As per the report, while wandering on the streets she knocked on several doors to seek help but no one helped her. Eventually she reached an ashram. A priest there suspected her to be a case of sexual violence, covered her with a towel and rushed her to the district hospital. The medical examination confirmed rape.

After primary treatment of the victim, doctors referred her to Indore for surgery as her private part was brutalized. The reports also claimed that a cop donated blood as she needed blood transfusion urgently to survive and her condition is now learnt to be stable.

A senior cop of Ujjain police station, Deepika Shinde asked the girl her name and her address, but she could not answer coherently.

Police have registered a case of rape against unidentified accused. The stringent Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act has also been invoked.

Ujjain police chief Sachin Sharma said a special team has been formed to identify and catch the culprits at the earliest. “The medical examination has confirmed rape. We have formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) and are closely following this. We appeal to the people to inform the police if they get any information,” Sharma said.

The incident has sparked political controversy in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh as the Congress has raised questions over the law and order situation and crime against women under the BJP government.

MP Congress president Kamal Nath condemned the incident and demanded stringent punishment to the accused involved in the case. He also demanded that the MP government should provide a financial assistance of Rs one crore to the victim.

“It is heart-wrenching to see a case of extremely cruel abuse of a small girl in Ujjain. The kind of rape that happened to a 12-year-old daughter and the way she ran around in many areas of the city in a semi-nude state and then fell unconscious on the road, puts humanity to shame. Such a heinous incident is a stain on the administration and society,” Kamal Nath said.