POSTED ON FEBRUARY 7, 2021

Victim’s family and villagers block roads in protest on Friday, demanding stringent punishment for the accused

A horrific crime has been reported from Madhya Pradesh, where a five-year-old girl was allegedly raped and killed in Morena district. The accused is reported to have been recently released from jail. He had been in jail for six months on the charge of molesting the minor’s aunt, according to the police quoted by Indian Express.

Enraged over the rape and murder of the child, the villagers tried to damage the accused’s house, which has led to tension in the village. According to the police, the accused, identified as one Bunty Rajak (36), was “a habitual rabble-rouser and used to assault villagers in Lambhvel in a drunken state.” The horrific incident is reported to have taken place on Thursday evening. The accused has been arrested for the offence. Sabalgarh police station in-charge Narendra Sharma told the media, “The five-year-old Dalit girl disappeared on Thursday evening. Her family members failed to find her anywhere in the village, following which they started searching her on the outskirts. They found her lying in a pool of blood in a farm.”

According to news reports, the accused was arrested from the village, “Rajak confessed to his crime and he was booked for the rape and murder of the girl. Relevant sections of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention Of Atrocities) Act, and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act were also slapped against him.”

As anger over the rape and murder of the child brews, it was reported that some villagers tried to damage the accused’s house. The victim’s family members and other villagers also staged a road blockade on Friday to demand capital punishment for the accused, stated the news report. According to the police, “The accused had spent six months in jail for molesting the victim’s aunt and returned to the village about 10 days ago.” SabrangIndia does not support capital punishment as we believe justice should be reformative, rather than driven by retribution.