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A five-year-old rape victim is moved to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences hospital from Swami Dayanand hospital for treatment in New Delhi on Friday. The girl's rape by a male neighbour, according to the police, triggered an angry protest march on the Swami Dayanand hospital in the Indian capital, by her relatives and political activists on Friday, reawakening concerns about women's safety in the country. Image Credit: Reuters

New Delhi: In a ghastly reminder of the December 16 Delhi gang-rape, a five-year-old girl who was raped and brutalised by a neighbour in an East Delhi locality is fighting for her life at a city hospital.

The country was shocked to hear the news as police registered a case of kidnapping, rape and unnatural sex and launched a manhunt for the accused who is absconding.

The toddler who went missing on Monday evening was found by neighbours from the ground floor room of the same building where she lived on Wednesday. She was moved to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) yesterday evening in a critical condition.

Doctors who treated her initially at the Swami Dayanand Hospital confirmed the victim was subjected to horrific injuries on her private parts. “The child’s condition is very critical. There were foreign objects found inside her and this has resulted in infection,” Dr. R.K. Bansal of Swami Dayanand Hospital said.

According to the victim’s family, the police was extremely unhelpful in registering the FIR and locating the missing girl, and tried to bribe them to keep quiet.

An assistant commissioner of police identified as B.S. Ahlawat has been suspended after he was caught on camera slapping a women protestor outside the hospital.

“I see an ACP slapping a young girl protesting against this. These policemen are incapable of protecting women. Instead they beat them up. This ACP should be ashamed of his uniform,” Sushma Swaraj, leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha, said.