MP: Administration razes houses of two men accused of raping, brutalising 12-year-old girl
Satna, Jul 29: The local administration on Saturday demolished the houses of two men accused of raping and brutalising a 12-year-old girl in the temple town of Maihar in Madhya Pradesh's Satna district, an official said.
The accused, Ravindra Kumar and Atul Bhadoliya, allegedly raped the girl, bit her and 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.
Following the incident, the chief municipal officer of Maihar Municipal Council on Friday issued notices to the families of the two men seeking documents related to their land and buildings, sub-divisional officer of police (SDOP) Lokesh Dabar said.
A probe revealed that the houses of both the accused were illegal, he said, adding that Bhadoliya's house was constructed on nazool' land (government land used for non-agricultural purposes), while Kumar's house was built without permission.
"Both the houses were demolished this morning," Dabar said.
According to eye-witnesses, when the demolition squad reached Bhadoliya's house, his family members requested officials to take any step only after the probe is completed. But they went ahead with the demolition.
The duo, who worked for the trust managing a famous temple in Maihar town, allegedly lured the girl and took her to an isolated place, where they raped and brutalised her, the police said.
The profusely bleeding girl, who also bore bite marks on her body, was admitted to a hospital at the divisional headquarters Rewa for advanced medical care, they said.
Earlier, Superintendent of Police (SP) Ashutosh Gupta had told PTI, "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."
He said the survivor is undergoing treatment at Sanjay Gandhi Hospital in Rewa and senior officials had visited the facility to inquire about her health.
A team of doctors is monitoring her health and if required, she can also be shifted to Bhopal or Delhi for further treatment, he said on Saturday.
The accused, both aged 30, were produced in a local court on Friday and were remanded to 14-day judicial custody, Gupta said.
The duo was booked under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, police said.
After the incident, Maa Sharda Devi Mandir Management Committee, Maihar in a press statement said it had sacked Kumar 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.
मैहर में आरोपियों का घर पर बुलडोजर चल गया है घरवाले हाथ जोड़ते रहे ... pic.twitter.com/KIQC4GgwCC
— Anurag Dwary (@Anurag_Dwary) July 29, 2023
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Putin meets Iran's FM Araghchi, says Russia ready to do its best to help bring peace to West Asia
Moscow (PTI): Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Monday met Russian President Vladimir Putin, who hailed the Iranian people for fighting bravely and heroically for their sovereignty and said Moscow is ready to do its best to help bring peace to West Asia as soon as possible.
Araghchi, who held talks with Omani and Pakistani leadership before arriving in Russia, met Putin in St. Petersburg and thanked him for supporting Iran, state-owned TASS news agency reported.
"Russia is ready to do everything in its power to ensure that peace in the Middle East is achieved as soon as possible," Putin said during his meeting with Araghchi, which was also attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Revealing that he received a message from Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei last week, Putin asked Araghchi to convey his "gratitude for this message and best wishes for his health and well-being."
He praised the Iranian people for fighting "bravely and heroically" for their sovereignty, Iran's state-run PRESS TV reported.
"We really hope that, based on the courage and desire for independence, the Iranian people, under the guidance of the new leader, will weather this difficult period of trials and peace will come,” Putin said.
He also stressed that Russia “intends to maintain” its strategic relations with Iran.
Araghchi said that the world witnessed Iran’s strength in countering the US during the recent war, and that the Islamic Republic is a "stable and powerful establishment."
"With their courage, the Iranian people succeeded in resisting the US aggression and will be able to endure it,” he said.
He said that it became clear that Iran has “great friends and allies” like Russia, and conveyed “warmest greetings” from Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian to the Russian leader.
Araghchi said relations between Moscow and Tehran represent a “strategic partnership at the highest level” and will continue to develop "regardless of circumstances."
"We are grateful to you for the solid and strong positions in support of the Islamic Republic of Iran," he said.
Foreign Minister Lavrov said that the talks between President Putin and the Iranian Foreign Minister were "useful and constructive."
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov later said that Russia is "ready to provide any good offices, any mediation services that are acceptable to the parties."
"We will be ready to do everything so that ultimately peace ensues, guaranteed peace, and that there is no return to hostilities," Peskov was quoted as saying by TASS.
He was asked how Moscow can assist in future negotiations on the Iranian settlement.
Araghchi arrived in Russia after his whirlwind trip to Islamabad, which, according to him, was “very productive” and involved “good consultations" with Pakistan's Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, amid uncertainty over the second round of peace talks to resolve the war in West Asia.
"We held good consultations with our friends in Pakistan. The trip was successful. We assessed the outcome of our recent (meetings) and discussed in what direction and under what conditions talks can move on,” Araghchi said in a video posted on his Telegram channel upon his arrival in St Petersburg.
Referring to the second round of talks between the US and Iran to resolve the conflict in West Asia, Araghchi said: "Developments have taken place in the negotiations."
"Despite some progress in earlier rounds, the talks failed to reach their objectives due to the Americans' approach, the excessive demands they made, and the wrong approaches they adopted. Therefore, it was necessary to consult with our friends in Pakistan to review the latest situation,” Iran's official news agency IRNA quoted him as saying.
He said that the trip to Pakistan was a good opportunity to review developments related to the US-Israeli war against Iran, expressing confidence that “these consultations and coordination between the two countries will be highly significant.”
Araghchi arrived at St. Petersburg's Pulkovo Airport early Monday, where he was welcomed by Russian officials and Iran’s ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, the report said.
The first round of peace talks between Iran and the US, held on April 11 and 12, failed to bring the desired result for the parties to the conflict.
The Iranian minister arrived in Islamabad for the second time on Sunday after a short visit to Oman, where he held talks with Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said on security in the Strait of Hormuz and diplomatic efforts to end the Iran-US conflict.
After Araghchi left Pakistan for Oman on Saturday, President Donald Trump announced that US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would no longer be going to Islamabad for talks with Iran, contending that Washington held all the cards on the matter.
Trump on Sunday reiterated that the US and Iranian officials can talk by phone for a peace solution to the conflict.
On Tuesday, Trump extended the two-week ceasefire with Iran indefinitely to give Tehran more time to prepare a unified proposal to end the war, just hours before the truce was set to expire.
The war began when the US and Israel jointly attacked Iran on February 28, killing Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several top commanders. The retaliation by the Islamic Republic extended the war to the entire Gulf region.
