Outrage as 12-year-old rape victim is ignored as she pleads for help
The brutal rape of a 12-year-old girl has sparked outrage in India after surveillance footage showed bystanders shooing away the bloodied and semi-naked youngster as she pleaded for help for two hours, according to reports.
Authorities said a rickshaw driver is now in custody in the horrific attack in the Central Indian city of Ujjain after the battered youngster was finally rescued by a Hindu priest on Tuesday, according to a report by the BBC.
“She could not speak,” priest Rahul Sharma told reporters.
“Her eyes were swollen. I then enquired what had happened but she spoke in a language that I did not understand. I also gave her a pen and paper but she could not write anything either.”
The unidentified girl was rushed to a nearby hospital, where she underwent surgery, according to reports.
The suspect, identified as Bharat Soni by The Tribune of India on Thursday, was being charged for the attack.
The heart-wrenching video of the battered youngster stumbling around and knocking on doors for help on Monday.
At one point a bystander is seen waving her away as she pleads for help — fueling the widespread outrage sparked by the disturbing footage.
The horrific incident even prompted local cops to line up to donate blood, the outlet said.
“We will take care of her in every way,” Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan told the Tribune. “She is my daughter as well as the state’s daughter, and we will ensure that the accused gets stringent punishment.”
According to the BBC, the girl was reported missing from the city of Stana — more than 430 miles from where she was found — on Sunday.
After the video surfaced, police also questioned several people who had come in touch with the girl.
“Five people who came in contact with the girl are being questioned,” Ujjain police superintendent Sachin Sharma told ANI news agency Thursday.
He said the girl was “incoherent and could not initially give any details about her whereabouts”.
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