Dubai: Reports of a minor’s rape and death surfaced once again in India, after the body of a 10-year-old missing girl was found in a drain.
The girl who lived in a slum in the Indian city of Bhopal had gone missing Saturday night after she had gone to a shop in the neighbourhood. Conflicting reports emerged of the case including details of the child’s age as well as whether she was sexually assaulted before being killed.
According to a report by Indian newspaper Hindustan Times, the girl who lived in the Kamal Nagar area of Bhopal had been missing. When the girl’s father contacted the police on Saturday night, they did not lodge a complaint immediately. According to the report, the father said: “Only after intervention of the local corporator was [the report] lodged.”
The report additionally stated that the police told the family to go back to sleep as the girl would come home on her own or she might have eloped with someone.
“How could a 10-year-old girl elope?” the girl’s uncle was quoted as saying.
Negligence
According to another news report, the police also demanded that the victim’s family bring in snacks when they came for the initial investigation to their home.
The girl’s body was found on Sunday by her father in a drain near their house. Hindustan Times reported that circumstantial evidence suggested that she was raped before being killed, according to the police.
After the agitation by locals around the police station, a police constable was suspended and a high level inquiry set up.
Hindustan Times quoted deputy inspector general (DIG) of police, Bhopal Irshad Wali: “Police are investigating the matter and the accused will be nabbed soon. A constable has been suspended for slackness in discharging his duty.”
According to news agency ANI quoted Akhil Patel, Assistant Superintendent of Police said: “Body has been sent for post-mortem. Reason of her death can be ascertained once medical reports come.”
How many more?
Several Twitter users commented on the rise in violence against children, as several reports had surfaced in the recent past where children were victims of heinous crimes.
Before this incident was report, a tweet by @AskAnshul received over 17,000 likes and retweets: “In 7 days in UP [Uttar Pradesh]: 1. Aligarh: 3 year old girl brutally murdered. 2. Barabanki: 6 year old girl raped. 3. Bareilly: 8 year old girl raped in graveyard. 4. Meerut: 9 year old girl murdered, body found in drain. This is really Shocking. Shame on Yogi [Adityanath] Govt’s law & order in UP.”
Responding to the latest case in Bhopal, in a Hindi tweet, @Adeepakbhandari wrote: “Till when will this continue to happen to the daughters of this country? The guilty should be hanged to death in the same amount of time it takes to commit this crime against daughters. That is when justice will prevail. Can you make such a law [Prime Minister] @narendramodi @rsprasad [India’s law minister] ji?”
