Bhopal:

The house of the man accused of raping a teenage girl in Madhya Pradesh’s Ujjain will be demolished tomorrow, as it was allegedly built illegally.

Videos of a 15-year-old girl, semi-naked and bleeding, going door-to-door for help, sparked outrage across the country last week. 

The accused, Bharat Soni, an auto-rickshaw driver, was arrested in the case on Thursday. Bharat is currently in jail awaiting trial. His family has been living in the house on government land for years, the Ujjain Municipal Corporation said.

Municipal Commissioner Roshan Singh said that the land belongs to the government and therefore no notice is needed for its demolition. The municipal body will take action tomorrow in collaboration with the Madhya Pradesh police. Bharat was caught after a long investigation that involved reviewing footage from nearly 700 CCTV cameras.

“30-35 people were involved in the investigation. No one slept for three or four days,” Ajay Verma, a senior police officer, told NDTV.

‘Shockwaves’

On September 26, videos went viral on social media showing a minor girl, haggard, bleeding, and begging for help. A CCTV camera on Badnagar Road, about 15 km from Ujjain, captured the girl, draped in rags, going door-to-door, seeking assistance. The chilling footage, that sent shockwaves across the country, showed people shooing the girl away, as she approached them one after the other. 

READ |In Ujjain Rape Case, Those Who Didn’t Help Teen May Face Charges: Police

The minor girl, exhausted and traumatised with her body barely covered by a tattered cloth, aimlessly wandered the streets. Word of her agony reached an ashram not far from her location. A priest there, sensing that she had been sexually assaulted, draped her in a towel and rushed her to the nearby hospital. The medical examination confirmed her fears: she had been raped.

The girl’s injuries were severe, so she was rushed to Indore for specialised medical care. Police officers volunteered to donate blood when she needed it.

The accused, Bharat, was arrested three days later. The accused attempted to flee while reenacting the crime scene to collect evidence, including torn clothing but was swiftly caught. 

“We reached the spot to recover the clothes worn by the girl. Sensing an opportunity, Bharat Soni tried to escape. Police personnel chased and caught him. During this, he fell on a cemented road, injuring his arms and legs,” the police said.

‘Should Be Hanged’

Bharat’s father has called for the death penalty for his son, while the local bar association has urged its members to refuse to represent him in court.

“It is a shameful act. Neither have I gone to hospital to meet him, no will I go to the police station or courts. My son has committed a crime, therefore he should be hanged,” his father said.

Repercussions

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who is gearing up for assembly elections in the state scheduled in November this year, vowed to prosecute the accused to the fullest extent of the law.

“The victim is the daughter of Madhya Pradesh. We will take care of her in every way. She is my daughter, as well as the state’s daughter and we will ensure that the accused gets stringent punishment,” he declared.

READ | “She Could’ve Been My Child”: Ujjain Rape Accused’s Father Seeks Death Penalty

The horrific incident has provided additional fodder to opposition parties to question the Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led state government which is under pressure for its dismal record on violence against women.

According to National Crime Records Bureau data, Madhya Pradesh, with 6,462 cases, reported the most number of rape incidents in the country in 2021. Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra have reported the highest number of cases of disappearance of women and girls between 2019 and 2021. Of all the reported rape cases, 50 per cent were crimes against minors, NCRB data states. 

Bhopal:

An autorickshaw driver who was detained by the police after blood stains were found in his vehicle in the horrific Ujjain rape case has said he helped the 15-year-old girl by giving her clothes.

The autorickshaw driver Rakesh Malviya told the police his only mistake was he did not take the girl to hospital, but left her on the road.

The police yesterday told NDTV those who did not help the girl – who had been raped and left half-naked and bleeding, and went door-to-door begging for help – may be charged under child sex abuse laws. They may face action under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act for not reporting the crime.

Mr Malviya spent four night in police custody after he was detained over suspicion that he could be the suspect. The police have now said he should have reported the matter immediately or taken the girl to hospital.

The autorickshaw driver said he gave the girl a khaki shirt that drivers wear. He said he regrets not having taken her to hospital.

“I gave a khaki shirt to her. She said she wanted to go home. I regret it a lot. I was also confused. I found myself in this situation for the first time, didn’t know who to tell,” Mr Malviya said.

The indifference of some residents of Ujjain whose doors the girl knocked for help has been criticised widely. For two hours, no one in the places she passed by – over 500 houses, dhabas and a toll booth – did not help her, until a temple priest helped her and called the police.

A man standing outside a house was seen on CCTV in what appeared like he was talking rudely to the girl using aggressive gestures. The man’s brother, however, said it was all a misunderstanding.

“My brother had just woken up and was groggy. As soon as he opened the gate, he saw the girl suddenly coming towards the gate. He then went in to call our sister-in-law. By then the girl left and we could not help her. We feel very sorry. The girl should get justice,” said Tarun Das Swami, the brother of the man seen on CCTV.

Another Ujjain resident, who does not live in the part of the city where the girl got no help, criticised the resident for not helping her. “People have ignored the girl. Our Ujjain has become infamous. It is the city of Mahakal. If this has happened here, then what can we say?” Ujjain resident Renu Bansal said.

The main accused, Bharat Soni, is in jail, while the girl is recovering in hospital.

The Madhya Pradesh police had said it took an extraordinary effort to crack the case, which involved interrogating hundreds of people, and scanning footage from over 700 CCTV cameras before they found links to the main accused.