Ujjain rape: Father of accused wants him hanged, Cong slams BJP govt

The father of an autorickshaw driver arrested for allegedly raping a 12-year-old girl in Ujjain has said he wants his son hanged even as the Congress slammed the Madhya Pradesh BJP government for rising crimes against women.

“It is a shameful act. Neither have I gone to the hospital to meet him, nor will I go to the police station or courts. My son has committed a crime. He should be hanged,” the man’s distraught father told the media.

Bharat Soni was arrested on Thursday, three days after the girl, bleeding and frightened, was seen walking on the city streets. Most residents ignored her plight before one man took her to a hospital.

Soni was injured when he allegedly tried to escape while being taken to the crime spot for investigation, police said.

The girl is being treated at the Government Maharaja Tukojirao Holkar Women's Hospital in Indore. She underwent a major surgery on Wednesday.

She reportedly hails from Satna in Madhya Pradesh but has not been able to give her address or other details.

Congress onslaught

The Ujjain Bar Association has urged lawyers not to defend Soni in court. Its president Ashok Yadav said the incident had damaged Ujjain’s reputation as a temple city.

The Congress has gone on the offensive against the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh over the incident and flayed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah over their silence.

Police said a complaint about a girl of the same age going missing had been registered in Satna but it was not known yet if the rape survivor was the same girl.

Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate alleged that the law-and-order situation in Madhya Pradesh had considerably deteriorated under chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

"In Madhya Pradesh, being a Dalit, tribal, and woman has become a sin. Madhya Pradesh is number one in rapes of minors," she said in Delhi.

Madhya Pradesh Congress president and former chief minister Kamal Nath on Saturday said the rape in Ujjain was a disgrace to the state.

He alleged that such crimes were taking place in the state every day but they were not coming to light.

"Doctors told me the girl's condition is stable after surgery. Her condition is improving. However, she is still disturbed mentally," Nath told reporters.

(With agency inputs)