12-year-old rape survivor found bleeding on Ujjain street, one detained

PTI, Sep 27, 2023, 6:17 PM IST

Representative image (source: Shutterstock)

Ujjain (MP): A girl, around 12 years of age, was found bleeding on a street in Ujjain city of Madhya Pradesh, and her medical examination confirmed that she had been raped, police said on Wednesday.

A special investigation team (SIT) has been formed to probe the matter and a suspect has been detained, said MP Home Minister Narottam Mishra. The girl, who is being treated in a hospital in Indore, is out of danger, he said.

The girl, found here on September 25, probably hails from neighbouring Uttar Pradesh, but her identity is yet to be established as she is not able to tell her name and address to the police properly, an official said.

“A girl, aged around 12 years, was found bleeding on a street located under the Mahakal police station area in Ujjain on Monday. She was taken to a hospital, where her initial medical examination confirmed that she had been raped,” Superintendent of Police (SP) Sachin Sharma said.

“The girl is possibly a resident of Uttar Pradesh. She neither possesses any identity card nor is she able to tell her name, age and address to the police properly,” he said.

As the minor’s condition was serious, she was taken to a state-run hospital in Indore on Tuesday for further medical treatment, the SP said.

A case was registered at the Mahakal police station and an investigation into the incident is underway, he added. A special investigation team (SIT) has been formed to probe the matter and to check the CCTV footage so that those behind the crime can be arrested at the earliest, he said.

State home minister Mishra told reporters in Indore said an SIT has been constituted and a suspect has been detained and is being interrogated.

He said the treatment of the rape survivor is underway and she is out of danger.

“The girl seems to be from some area outside Ujjain. Since she is not able to respond properly (regarding the incident), efforts are being made to talk to her with the help of experts and counsellors,” he said.

Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Kamal Nath demanded that the victim be given financial assistance of Rs 1 crore and that the accused in the case be given the strictest possible punishment.

“It is heart-wrenching to see the case of extremely cruel rape of a little girl in Ujjain. The kind of heinous crime committed against the 12-year-old daughter and the way she ran around in many areas of the city in a semi-nude condition and before falling unconscious on the road, puts humanity to shame,” Nath said on his official X account on Wednesday.

The Congress leader said that the rule of law has ended in Madhya Pradesh and criminals are roaming free while the people are in trouble.
Asked about the attacks by the Congress against the BJP government in the state over this incident, the minister Mishra retorted, “Will you need a certificate from the Congress?”

On the other hand, Congress general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala, on his X account, termed the incident more heinous than the 2012 Nirbhaya case.

Alleging that eight rape incidents occur every day in Madhya Pradesh, Surjewala said that the BJP government, which “cannot do justice to an innocent 12-year-old girl does not have the right to remain in power even for a moment”.