In MP’s Alirajpur, Minor Rape Survivor Allegedly Paraded to Chants of Bharat Mata Ki Jai, 6 Arrested

Bhopal: In a shocking incident in the tribal-majority Alirajpur in Madhya Pradesh, a 16-year-old girl, who was allegedly raped by a 21-year-old, was paraded along with the accused in her case, amid chants of ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ raised by local residents on Sunday, March 28.

The video of the incident (attached below), which went viral on social media, shows that both the survivor and accused were allegedly paraded by the local people as well as relatives of the minor girl who had tied their hands and legs with ropes. The duo was also purportedly thrashed before the parade. While the video has been reviewed by NewsClick, its authenticity cannot be independently verified.

As the alleged video of the incident, which took place nearly 400-km away from the state capital, created a furore on the internet, the Alirajpur Police reportedly registered two separate FIRs at Jobat Police Station. The first FIR is against the 21-year-old for raping a minor and the second FIR against five residents including the girl’s kin for parading, shaming and assaulting the victim and the accused.

“Two separate FIRs have been registered at Jobat Police Station in connection with the incident and  six men have been arrested on complaint of a minor girl,” said Dilip Singh Bilawal, a senior police official of the district.

According to police, the villagers assaulted the survivor and the accused the whole night and later paraded them on Sunday morning, instead of informing the police.

The police have further said that the 21-year-old rape accused who is a resident of the same village and is a father of two has been booked under the charges of rape and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. Five other villagers which include relatives of the victim were booked under sections 147, 294, 506, 355, 323 and 342 of the Indian Penal Code. All the accused have been arrested, as per the police.

Meanwhile, in another horrifying incident around 600-km away from Alirajpur, in Chhindwara, a 20-year-old man allegedly strangled his 20-year-old wife who had changed her faith to marry him months ago.

According to the Chhindwara Police, Sidharth Halder, resident of Damua which is 60-km away from the district headquarters, had married Rizwana months ago and they were living together with the family

Rizwana had changed her faith in a bid to marry Sidharth and adopted the name, Seema Halder. However, according to the police, money matters played a decisive role in the worsening relationship with Sidharth being unemployed. 

Town inspector of Damua Police Station, Dharmenda Kushram said that Sidharth allegedly strangled his wife with a scarf when she demanded money for daily expenses followed by a heated argument. “To hide his crime, Sidharth took her body to the hospital to claim her illness, where the doctor declared her dead. But, the post-mortem report revealed the actual reason of death and police has detained Sidharth on suspicion of murder,” the police officer said.

During the interrogation, he admitted the crime and police have booked him under section 302 and 201 of the IPC and sent to jail.