MP: 15-year-old girl in hospital after gangrape by two men
A month after the gangrape of a UPSC aspirant shook MP's Bhopal, reports of a similar crime have surfaced from Sagar. Though details aren't available yet, ANI reports the 15-year-old victim has been admitted in a hospital after two men gangraped her. A case has been registered under relevant sections. Police are on a hunt for the accused, who are on the run.
Bhopal was left shaken after a brutal rape
On October 31, four men grabbed a 19-year-old UPSC aspirant near the Habibganj railway station in Bhopal while she was returning from coaching classes. They took turns to rape her for three hours, took breaks in between, then tried to kill her and fled, assuming her dead. To add to her trauma, police at first refused to file an FIR.
State has seen an alarmingly high number of sexual crimes
MP has recorded an alarmingly high number of sexual crimes. In 2015, it registered 24,135 crimes against women. Of them, 4,391 were rapes, the highest among states. The same year, it saw 1,687 sexual offenses against children. In 2016, the figures increased: out of 26,604 crimes against women, 4,882 were rapes. Meanwhile, the conviction rate has remained at a mere 24-25% in recent years.
MP passes bill prescribing death for raping girls under 12
Recently, the Assembly unanimously passed the Public Safety Bill proposing death penalty for rapists of girls aged 12 years or below. If someone rapes a woman on the pretext of marriage, it will be treated as a cognizable crime. Repeated stalking can lead to fines of Rs. 1L. The possibility of extending the bill to minor boys may be discussed later, a minister said.
