In a heart-wrenching incident, a 20-year-old youth brutally raped an 8-year-old girl and murdered. Mohammad Irshad, a labourer in a local market, had taken the girl, who was waiting for her father after school, to a secluded place and raped her. He had slit her throat with a sharp-edged weapon and left her for dead, police said.
On Wednesday night, she was found in a pool of blood near her school and admitted to MY Hospital in Indore in a critical condition.
Her condition is stated to be stable. MY Hospital’s Dr Sharad Thora said, “The girl is responding to treatment and getting better. But she is mentally disturbed due to the incident.”
Based on the medical examination of the girl and the doctor’s statement, police booked Irshad for kidnapping and rape and also under sections of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
Mandsaur superintendent of police, Manoj Singh said Irshad was nabbed within 24 hours of the crime with the help of CCTV footages in which he was seen taking the girl with him after school hours. Police said Irshad has a criminal record and is said to be a habitual drinker.
Meanwhile, Mandsaur residents called a bandh on Thursday to register their protest.
The girl’s father demanded death sentence for Irshad. “The accused should be hanged. I want justice for my daughter,” he said.
Mandsaur Advocates’ Association have decided not to fight the accused’s case.
The Anjuman Islam, Mandsaur unit president, Yunus Sheikh condemned the rape and demanded death penalty for Irshad. They also declared that no burial space would be given to Irshad after his death.
