INDIA: 13-YEAR-OLD RAPED TWICE BY NINE MEN IN FIVE DAYS: POLICE

Sun 17 January 2021:

A 13-year-old girl was kidnapped and gang-raped by nine men in Madhya Pradesh’s Umaria district twice within five days, the police have said, adding seven people have been arrested so far in the case. The incident comes at a time when the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government is running the ‘Samman’ campaign – a fortnight-long public awareness drive about crime against women across the state.

At least four such chilling incidents in the last six days against women in various parts of Madhya Pradesh, have raised questions about their safety in the state.

According to the police, the 13-year-old girl was first kidnapped by a young man known to her on January 4 and then raped by him and six of his friends for two days.

Before letting her go on January 5, the accused threatened to kill her if she told anybody so she did not file a complaint.

The horror was repeated six days later as she was again kidnapped on January 11 by one of the seven men who raped her before and then held captive in jungles as well as a roadside eatery, where three of them again raped her, the police said.

After being let go by the three accused, she was kidnapped again and allegedly raped by two truck drivers, before she managed to flee and return to her house on Friday early morning, they added.

The incident was reported to the police on Friday after which multiple teams conducted searches.

On January 9, a 48-year-old woman was raped by a man with the help of four others inside her hut in Sidhi district, according to the police.

The main accused in the case also allegedly inserted an iron rod in the private parts of the woman, who has two young sons. All the five accused have been arrested.

Two days later on January 11, a 13-year-old girl was kidnapped by her neighbour, who then allegedly raped the teenager and murdered her in Khandwa district.

Just a day later, a young woman was assaulted by her husband and father-in-law, suspecting her of infidelity in Ujjain district.

The accused men along with women of the family used sharp-edged weapons to cut the woman’s nose, breast and also injured parts of her body.

While the woman is battling for her life at a hospital in Indore, two accused in the case have been arrested.