Neighbour rapes 7-month-old girl, leaves her shrieking, bleeding on playground
Some children who went to the playground in Rajasthan’s Alwar found the infant covered in blood; the 19-year-old accused has been arrested
A 19-year-old man has been arrested for raping a seven-month-old girl at a village in Alwar’s Laxmangarh area on Wednesday evening, police said. The accused is the victim’s neighbour.
“The accused picked up the child from her house around 7.30 in the evening when the infant’s mother was busy somewhere else. The woman also cannot see properly. He then took the infant to a school playground nearby and raped her,” SHO of Laxmangarh police station Prahlad Sahay said.
“The infant, shrieking in pain, was found by some children playing there. She was covered in blood,” Sahay added. The accused has been booked under Sections 363, 366a, 376 of IPC and also under POCSO Act.
Taking cognizance of the incident, chairperson of Rajasthan State Commission for Protection of Child Rights Manan Chaturvedi wrote a letter to the district administration, demanding a report on the child’s health and the action being taken by the police.
“This is a shameful act. We are prepared to take the strictest action in the matter to ensure that the child gets justice and no one dares to commit such a heinous act in the future,” Chaturvedi said.
The child is presently undergoing treatment at a hospital in Alwar. Her father works as a labourer. Police said the matter is being investigated.
In March this year, Rajasthan had passed a bill proposing capital punishment for rape and gang rape of girls aged 12 years and below. It became the second state to pass such a bill.
The Criminal Laws (Rajasthan amendment) Bill-2018, which found unanimous support cutting across party lines, was introduced in the state assembly on March 6, 2018. The amendment was carried out through the insertion of two sections (376-AA and 376-DD) into the Indian Penal Code-1860.
Section 376-AA states that whoever rapes a girl of up to 12 years of age shall be punished with death or rigorous imprisonment for a term that shall not be less than 14 years but may extend to the remainder of his natural life. The convict will also be liable to pay a fine.
Section 376-DD specifies that those found guilty of gang-raping a girl of up to 12 years shall be punished with death, or awarded rigorous imprisonment for a term not less than 20 years and extending to the remainder of their natural lives. The convicts will also be liable to pay a fine.
Home minister Gulab Chand Kataria had said that the government decided to take this step in view of increasing sexual assaults against minors in recent times. “It is the prime duty of the state and society to protect children against all odds and provide them with an environment conducive for their mental and physical development. This is why such heinous offences need to be dealt with an iron hand,” he had said.
The National Crime Records Bureau-2016 report ranked Rajasthan in the fifth position in crimes against women, with 27,422 cases being reported in 2016. The total number of rape cases registered in 2016 came up to 3,656 – half a dozen of which involved children under six years of age; 37 pertained to kids under 12; 195 were against those below 16; and 539 concerned those between 16 and 18.
