5-year-old girl gangraped by temple priests in Madhya Pradesh’s Datia: Police
Madhya Pradesh, Oct 03: A five-year-old girl was gangraped by two priests inside a temple premises in Datia district on Tuesday said police.
Police arrested both the priests - Raju Pandit(55) and Batoli Prajapati (45) late Tuesday night and booked them under Section 376 (rape) of Indian Penal Code and Protection of Children from Sexual Offence (POCSO). Police suspect the duo might have assaulted other minors too.
The girl, a farmer’s daughter, was admitted to a district hospital where her condition is stated to be stable.
“The accused lured the girl with a sweet dish inside the temple. They raped the girl and then dropped her outside her home. They also threatened the girl of dire consequences if she revealed the crime to anyone,” Goraghat police station town inspector Ripudaman Singh said.
“The girl’s mother noticed that her daughter was feeling great pain and especially while relieving herself. When the mother asked the girl why she was in pain, the girl initially did not say anything, but later she blurted out her ordeal. The family informed the police and rushed the girl to the district hospital,” Singh said.
Datia, superintendent of police, Mayank Awasthi said, “The people have alleged that the two priests might have harassed other minors too, as several girls had told their parents that these priests were ‘not good’. We are investigating the matter.”
The crime is the latest in Madhya Pradesh’s depressing statistics of rape and molestation.
According to the state women’s cell records, 1,894 rapes and 4,069 molestation cases were registered in the first five months of 2018. This translates to an average of 13 rapes and 27 instances of molestation every day.
In December 2017, MP became the first state in the country to pass a bill providing for the rapists of girls aged 12 or below to be hanged till death. The minimum punishment, the bill stated, would be 14-year rigorous imprisonment or life term till death. This would go up to 20 years rigorous imprisonment in cases of gang rape of girls aged 12 or less.
Over the last seven months, fast track courts in Madhya Pradesh have pronounced 12 death sentences in rape cases.
Courtesy: www.hindustantimes.com
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
