Days after the Mandsaur rape survivor’s father demanded capital punishment for the accused, one of the two accused confessed that the act was a “spur of the moment decision”.
The father of the 8-year-old girl, who was allegedly abducted from a bus stand and raped in Mandsaur in Madhya Pradesh, had demanded capital punishment for the accused. He told ANI on Saturday, 30 June, “I do not want any compensation. I just want the accused to be hanged”
One of the accused Asif (24), was arrested from Madarpura locality of the city. Asif allegedly tried to kill the minor by slitting her throat with a knife.
Protests erupted in Madhya Pradesh’s Mandsaur on Friday, 29 June, as civilians kept the market area of the city closed, with the bar association refusing to represent the accused, reported PTI.
Rape Was a Spur of the Moment Decision: Accused
According to a Hindustan Times report, one of the accused, Irfan, told the police that he was near the survivor’s school gates when he spotted her, standing alone. Ten minutes later when he returned, he found her at the same spot, unsupervised.
He then reportedly approached her and took her away with the promise of sweets. He then allegedly called Asif, and asked him to meet him near Lakshman Darwza, which is the entrance to an old fort in ruins.
The duo met there, and raped the girl, before slitting her throat. While the survivor has alleged that there were three men, the police has nabbed the duo and detained them in custody till 5 July. According to the daily, the police is yet to record the statement of the survivor.
“Girl’s Treatment Moving in Right Direction”
Doctors treating the minor girl said that she was being counselled by psychiatrists to recover from the trauma.
"After the incident, the child was in shock and was very scared. But now her face shows less fear than earlier," MYH superintendent V S Pal told PTI.
After counselling the minor, psychiatrist Swati Prasad said:
The child is talking about things which she likes, such as her favourite games, foods and TV serials, etc. These are very positive signs which means she is recovering from the trauma. Gradually her mental state will get stronger.
Mumbai-based senior paediatric surgeon Ravi Ramadwar, who was called in by the state government to help the minor, said that her treatment was headed in the right direction.
“The girl’s treatment is moving in the right direction and it is expected that she will come out of the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) soon,” Ramadwar said.
Mandsaur Bar Association Convenes Emergency Meet
The Mandsaur District Bar Association (MDBA), which convened an emergency meeting on Thursday 28 June, said that no lawyer would defend the accused.
MDBA President Jaideep Singh told PTI that they have petitioned the district judge asking him to try the case in a fast track court.
He added that a team of 100 lawyers would be made available to fight the case for the victim.
Price on Accused’s Head
Meanwhile, BJP leader Sanjeev Mishra put out a bounty on the accused.
We demand capital punishment for the accused. If Court or administration is not capable of doing it, I have said I will give Rs 5 Lakh to the person who beheads the accused and gets his head.Sanjeev Mishra
Politicians Condemn the Incident
Rahul Gandhi expressed grief over the incident and tweeted on Saturday about the “sickening brutality” that has engulfed the society.
Condemning the incident, MP Congress chief Kamal Nath tweeted that innocent girls continued to face sexual abuse in the state.
"In a latest survey, women in India are found to be insecure. Madhya Pradesh is infamous in the country for recording the largest number of rapes already. When would such incidents stop? When are our sisters and daughters going to get a secure environ?" he tweeted.
(With inputs from PTI, ANI)
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