Ujjain minor rape case: Delay in police action led to incident, alleges family

The family of the 15-year-old rape survivor has held the police responsible for the alleged incident in Ujjain claiming that they were turned when they went to file a missing complaint. (Representative Photo) The minor, who had gone missing from her house in Satna last week and reached Ujjain earlier this week where she was allegedly raped an auto driver. According to the grandfather of the minor girl, he tried to file a complaint at Jaitwara police station at 10pm on Sunday, about 6-7 hours before the crime, but he was asked to leave saying that he should search himself and come again in the morning. He said that even after regering a first information report, the police didn’t make any effort to search. She had gone to school to appear in the Science Olympiad. She went missing around 10am on Sunday, said the grandfather, adding that she might have boarded the train from Jaitwara railway station which comes around 11am to Ujjain. “If the police had started their probe in the night itself, the girl could be in safe hands,” said the grandfather. However, Jaitwara police station in-charge Shweta Maurya said the police took swift action in the matter. Police said the girl was found bleeding on Badnagar road under Mahakal police station area in Ujjain on Monday. She was rescued the Dandi Ashram who then took her to a private hospital where an initial medical examination confirmed that she was raped. She was operated upon a team of special doctors at the government Maharaja Tukojirao Holkar Women’s Hospital on Wednesday. On Thursday, police arrested two auto-rickshaw drivers identified as Bharat Soni, a resident of the Nanakheda slum area, and Rakesh Malviya after scrutinising over 700 CCTV camera footage in and around the area. Police said that Soni was detained after CCTV footage showed him interacting with the survivor near Ujjain railway station on Sunday, the day she was allegedly raped, The developments came a day after state home miner Narottam Mishra announced a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the matter, as viral visuals showed the minor, partially clothed and in an injured condition, going door to door for help on the streets of Ujjain. According to the police Soni, 24, saw her first and took her to Jeevan Khedi in his auto-rickshaw where he left. Another auto driver (Malviya) was stopped the girl asking for help but he took her to a crowded area and left near Hatkeshwar colony from where she roamed for three hours for help before she was spotted an Ashram priest, police added. The auto-rickshaw driver was taken into custody based on video footage and blood stains found on the passenger seat, police had said. While Soni has been arrested under section 376 (rape) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and under the relevant section of Protection of Children from Sexual Offence provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO), Malviya was arrested under section 201 of IPC for trying to hide evidence, giving false information and not informing the police about the incident. Police said that Soni also has several criminal cases of rash driving and voluntarily causing hurt pending against him. “Exciting news! Hindustan Times is now on WhatsApp Channels Subscribe today clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!” Click here! ABOUT THE AUTHOR She is a senior reporter based at Bhopal. She covers higher education, social issues, youth affairs, woman and child development related issues, sports and business & industries. …view detail