BHOPAL: In a shocking incident, a 16-year-old rape survivor who was allegedly raped by a 21-year-old man was beaten and forced to parade with the accused on Sunday in a tribal-dominated village in Alirajpur district of Madhya Pradesh.
The incident came to light when a video went viral on social media wherein the girl and the accused, tied with a rope were being beaten and forced to walk in public in the village under Jobat police station amidst slogans of "Bharat Mata Ki Jai" (Long Live Mother India).
As per reports, the girl and the accused were tied with a rope and made to walk through the village to shame her. Shockingly, the survivors' family and relatives were among those who forced her to walk with the accused.
According to reports, a total of six persons, including the man who is accused of rape, and five villagers, have been arrested in the case.
The video has triggered outrage following which the police came to the rescue of the girl.
Reportedly, two cases were registered on Sunday on the FIRs lodged by the victim, said Sub-Divisional Officer of Police (SDOP) Dilip Singh Bilwal.
One of the cases was registered against the rape accused under sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and under provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The SDOP further informed that the accused was a married man and a father of two children.
Another case was registered against the family members of the girl and the villagers who resorted to shaming her in public. They were booked under sections 294 (Obscene act in public places), 355 (Assault or criminal force with intent to dishonour person), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 342 (wrongful confinement) and other sections of the IPC, the officer said.
Madhya Pradesh has seen a steep rise in cases of rape against women. As per NCRB data Madhya Pradesh registered the highest number of rape cases in India in 2018 as the state accounts for 16% of all rape cases in the country.
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