Ujjain: Raped, bleeding 12-year-old girl appeals for help, shooed away

The horrific scene was captured by a CCTV camera at Badnagar Road, some 15 km from Ujjain, a well-known pilgrimage centre.

News reports said that even as people stared at her, they refused to provide any help. One man actually shooed her away as she approached him for assistance.

The girl, wandering the streets in a rag barely covering her, eventually reached the Dandi ashram where she fainted and was helped by a priest.

Suspecting she had been sexually assaulted, he quickly covered her with a towel and rushed her to the district hospital. Doctors confirmed she had been raped.

As the injuries were serious, the girl was rushed to a hospital in Indore, where police personnel came forward and donated blood.  Her condition is now said to be stable.

The traumatised girl, who is reportedly said to be mentally challenged, could not even give a proper answer when an officer asked her name and address.

Special team

The police have registered a case of rape against unidentified suspects. The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act has also been invoked.

Ujjain police chief Sachin Sharma said a special team has been formed to identify and catch the culprits at the earliest.

"We appeal to the people to inform police if they get any information," Sharma said.

"The girl was not able to tell us exactly where she is from. But her accent suggests she is from Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh," he added.

Madhya Pradesh (MP) and Maharashtra have reported the highest number of cases of disappearance of women and girls between 2019 and 2021.

Also, MP reported 6,462 rapes in 2021, which is the highest in the country, according to the National Crime Records Bureau data. This means that MP records 18 rapes per day

What is shocking is that more than 50 per cent of these crimes were against minors.