9-year-old girl kidnapped and raped in MP; police say her condition critical
Indore (PTI): A nine-year-old girl was allegedly kidnapped from a construction site and raped by a man in Madhya Pradesh's Indore city, police said on Sunday.
The victim, who suffered injuries due to the assault, has been admitted to a hospital and her condition is stated to be critical, Indore's Deputy Commissioner of Police Amit Tolani told reporters.
The incident took place on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday at the site of an under-construction building in Rajendra Nagar locality where the girl's father worked as a security guard, he said.
The girl was sleeping with her parents in a small hut-like structure at the site when the 32-year-old accused allegedly kidnapped her, the official said.
The accused took the girl to the other side of the construction site and raped her. The victim suffered critical injuries due to the assault and bled profusely, he said.
On hearing the girl's cries, her parents came to her rescue. She was shifted to a nearby hospital and police were informed, the official said.
Based on the CCTV footage of the area, the police zeroed-in on the accused, who is a resident of Ahirkhedi village in Indore district, he said.
The accused was arrested on Saturday evening and he told the police that he had committed the crime, the official said.
He was booked on charges of kidnapping, rape and other sections of the Indian Penal Code as well as provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, the official said.
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Maharashtra sets up state vaccination task force to strengthen immunisation programme
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.
The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.
The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.
Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.
The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.
"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.
To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.
"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.
The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.
The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.
It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.
