MP shocker: 12-year-old girl raped, assaulted in Maihar town; 2 men linked to temple trust held
Satna (MP), Jul 28: A 12-year-old girl was raped, bitten multiple times and brutalised allegedly by two men working for the trust managing a famous temple in Maihar town of Satna district in Madhya Pradesh, police said on Friday.
The two men, who have been arrested, also allegedly inserted a hard object in her private parts on Thursday, police sources stated, but a senior official said this can be confirmed only after her medical examination report is received.
The profusely bleeding girl was admitted to a hospital at the divisional headquarters Rewa for advanced medical care, said the police, adding the accused were identified as Ravindra Kumar Ravi and Atul Bhadoliya.
"I am not denying that a stick or some other object was inserted into the 12-year-old's private parts by accused Ravindra Kumar Ravi and Atul Bhadoliya. But this is something that can only be confirmed only in a medical report. We are still awaiting her medical report. Yes she was bleeding and doctors are monitoring her health," Satna Superintendent of Police Ashutosh Gupta told PTI over the phone.
"Her body bore bites and injuries which pertain to sexual assault," he said.
Asked about the condition of the girl, the SP said a panel of doctors treating her said her condition was 'okay" at his point of time.
"We are taking legal action against the accused," Gupta said.
The accused, both aged 30, were on Friday produced in a local court which sent them in 14-day judicial custody, Gupta said.
The duo was booked under IPC sections 376 (punishment for rape), 376DB (punishment for gang rape on woman under 12 years of age), 366A (procuration of minor girl), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means), 34 (common intention) and relevant provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, the police said.
In a related development, a press statement issued by the Maa Sharda Devi Mandir Management Committee, Maihar, bearing the signature of its administrator, stated they have sacked Ravi and Bhadoliya, employed with them, forthwith after a criminal case was registered against them.
"Their indecent act has tarnished the image of the temple," said the statement.
The rape incident took place in Maihar, a temple town about 45km from district headquarters, another official said.
The accused allegedly lured the girl and took her to an isolated place, where they raped and assaulted her, he said.
The police arrested the duo on Friday morning, Maihar sub-divisional officer of police (SDOP) Lokesh Dabar said.
The victim was admitted in the Rewa hospital after being administered first aid at Maihar, he said.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan directed the police to take strict action against the accused and provide best of possible medical treatment to the girl.
Condemning the incident, Madhya Pradesh Congress president Kamal Nath said the victim was subjected to an inhuman attack that was reminiscent of the 2012 Nirbhaya case of Delhi.
The gruesome 2012 episode, commonly known as the Nirbhaya case, involved rape and fatal assault on a 23-year-old woman in the national capital which caused nationwide outrage and triggered protests.
Such incidents with sisters and daughters have become a routine affair in Madhya Pradesh and it proved that Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's government has failed to provide them security, Nath claimed in a tweet.
He demanded best medical treatment and a financial assistance of Rs 1 crore for the girl.
मैहर में छोटी बच्ची के साथ दुष्कर्म की घटना अत्यंत निंदनीय है। बच्ची के साथ निर्भया कांड की तरह अमानवीय व्यवहार किये जाने की बात भी सामने आ रही है। प्रदेश में आए दिन बच्चियों के साथ अत्याचार की घटनाओं ने साबित कर दिया है कि शिवराज सरकार बहन-बेटियों को सुरक्षा देने में पूरी तरह…
— Kamal Nath (@OfficeOfKNath) July 28, 2023
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Thane court sentences man to life imprisonment for bludgeoning wife to death
Thane (PTI): A court in Maharashtra's Thane district sentenced a man to life imprisonment for the brutal murder of his wife, whom he attacked 22 times with a hammer in front of his children, based on the testimony of his 13-year-old daughter.
Principal district and sessions judge S B Agrawal found the accused, Vijay Mishra alias Samir Shaikh, guilty under sections 302 (murder) and 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The court sentenced him to life imprisonment and a three-year term to be served concurrently. It also imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh for the murder charge and an additional Rs 10,000 for injuring his minor daughter and mother-in-law, who had tried to intervene during the fatal attack.
Additional public prosecutor Rashmi Kshirsagar informed that 11 prosecution witnesses, including the accused's daughter, were examined during the trial.
According to the prosecution, the victim, Zarin Israr Ansari, had been living with her mother, along with her daughter and a six-year-old son, for two years following prolonged domestic violence and disputes.
The accused, who had converted to Islam to marry Zarin 14 years prior, harboured deep resentment over her living separately and suspected her character.
On the afternoon of September 28, 2023, the accused stormed into his mother-in-law's residence in Mumbra with a hammer concealed in a bag, cornered his wife on the mezzanine floor, dragged her down, locked the main door, and repeatedly bludgeoned her.
The court defended the testimony of the victim's 13-year-old daughter, who was an eyewitness and had sustained injuries herself, noting that minor inconsistencies do not degrade the core truth of an innocent child's account:
"...they are not of any significant consequence since it is not expected from such a witness of 10 years of age to have a total photographic memory to be reproduced before the court. But as far as the incident is concerned, evidence of this witness is totally free from any reasonable doubt."
The prosecution had also stated that the accused had locked his family inside and threatened a neighbour by brandishing a "bomb-like thing" and declaring he would blow up the building if anyone intervened.
The victim's brother eventually broke down the latched door, disarmed the accused, and pinned him down until the police arrived.
The post-mortem report revealed that the victim had suffered 22 brutal injuries and had died due to severe head wounds.
