Lawyers Refuse To Represent Man Accused Of Raping, Killing 6-Year-Old Niece

Members of social organisations took to the streets in Chhattisgarh's Durg city on Tuesday to condemn the rape and murder of a six-year-old girl by her uncle and the opposition Congress burnt effigies of Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai in several districts.

The Durg district bar council announced it would not represent the accused in court.

A six-year-old girl was sexually assaulted and murdered in the Mohan Nagar police station area on Sunday. The child had gone to her grandmother's house in the neighbourhood for a function on the ninth day of the 'Navratri' festival when her 24-year-old uncle sexually assaulted, killed her and later placed the body in a neighbour's car.

Members of social organisations, including an outfit of the Yadav community to which the victim belonged, took out rallies in the city and shouted slogans condemning the heinous crime.

The Yadav community demanded a CBI probe into the incident and submitted a memorandum to the Durg collector, seeking Rs 50 lakh assistance for the girl's mother and a government job for her.

"We have demanded a detailed enquiry into the incident by probe agencies like the CBI. The accused should be sentenced to death. We have also demanded assistance of Rs 50 lakh and a government job for the victim's mother," said Pritam Yadav, general secretary of the Chhattisgarh unit of Akhil Bharatvarshiya Yadav Mahasabha.

The Chhattisgarhi Mahila Samaj strongly condemned the incident and demanded a ban on porn sites.

Durg Bar Council president Neeta Jain termed the act heinous and inhuman and said it has decided not to represent the accused.

Amid reports that the child was tortured with a cigarette and her body had burn marks, Durg Additional Superintendent of Police Sukhnandan Rathore said the complete post-mortem report is awaited, and further investigation is underway.

He, however, said that the body was kept in a parked car, and blisters may have appeared on it due to heat.

The opposition Congress burnt the effigy of Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai in several districts, including Raipur, Durg and Rajnandgaon, protesting against the incident.

The party demanded the resignation of Deputy Chief Minster Vijay Sharma, who also holds the Home portfolio, alleging that the law and order situation has deteriorated.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)