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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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.
