Seven-month-old girl raped in Alwar, neighbour arrested

JAIPUR: A 19-year-old man has been arrested for raping a sevenmonth-old girl at a village in Alwar’s Laxmangarh on Wednesday, police said. The accused is the victim’s neighbour.

“The accused picked up the child from her house around 7.30pm when the infant’s mother was busy. The woman also cannot see properly. He then took the infant to a school playground nearby and raped her,” SHO of Laxmangarh police station Prahlad Sahay said. “The infant, shrieking in pain, was found by some children playing there. She was covered in blood.”

The accused has been booked under Sections 363, 366 (a), 376 of IPC and also under POCSO Act.

Taking cognizance of the incident, chairperson of Rajasthan State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, Manan Chaturvedi, wrote a letter to the district administration, demanding a report on the child’s health and the action being taken by police.

“This is a shameful act. We are prepared to take the strictest action to ensure that the child gets justice and no one dares to commit such a heinous act in the future,” Chaturvedi said.

The child is undergoing treatment at a hospital in Alwar. Her father works as a labourer. Police said the matter is being probed.

In March, Rajasthan passed a bill proposing capital punishment for rape and gang rape of girls aged 12 years and below. It became the second state to pass such a bill after Madhya Pradesh.

The Criminal Laws (Rajasthan amendment) Bill 2018, which found unanimous support across party lines, was introduced in the state assembly on March 6. The amendment was carried out through the insertion of two sections (376-AA and 376-DD) into the Indian Penal Code-1860.

Section 376-AA states that whoever rapes a girl of up to 12 years shall be punished with death or rigorous imprisonment for a term that shall not be less than 14 years but may extend to the remainder of his natural life. The convict will also be liable to pay a fine. Section 376-DD specifies that those found guilty of gang-raping a girl of up to 12 years shall be punished with death, or awarded rigorous imprisonment for a term not less than 20 years and extending to the remainder of their natural lives. The convicts will also be liable to pay a fine.