One man was seen shooing her away as she approached him for help
A 12-year-old girl, semi-naked and bleeding after rape, went door to door asking for help. People stared at her but refused to help. One man was seen shooing her away as she approached him for help.
The visuals, which no longer shock a society where violence against women and minors has become chillingly common, were captured by a CCTV camera at Badnagar road, about 15 km from Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh.
The girl, wandering the streets in a rag barely covering her, eventually reached an ashram. A priest there suspected sexual violence, covered her with a towel and rushed her to the district hospital. The medical examination confirmed rape.
As the injuries were serious, the girl was rushed to Indore. When she needed blood, police personnel came forward. Her condition is now learnt to be stable.
When a senior police officer asked the girl her name and her address, 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 closely following this. We appeal to the people to inform police if they get any information," Mr Sharma said.
On a question on the location where the crime took place, the officer said, "This is being investigated. We would come up with the information soon."
"The girl was not able to tell us exactly where she is from. But her accent suggests she is from Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh," he added.
The horrifying incident has yet again brought under the spotlight Madhya Pradesh's dismal record on violence against women.
Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra have reported the highest number of cases of disappearance of women and girls between 2019 and 2021. Also, Madhya Pradesh reported most incidents of rapes in the country in 2021- 6,462 - as per the National Crime Records Bureau data. Out of them, more than 50 per cent were crimes against minors. The number translates to 18 rapes per day.