6-year-old Sexually Abused, Brutally Injured In Madhya Pradesh's Damoh

It's been over 17 months but the nightmare of that dreaded evening haunts a 6-year-old every single day. The girl had stepped out of her house in Madhya Pradesh's Damoh district in the evening to go to a shop nearby and get some eatables. Her parents raised an alarm when she didn't return. What followed was a frantic search the whole night. The following morning, a missing report was lodged in the local police station. She was found the next morning lying naked in a field outside the village with both her hands tied on her back. Brutally injured, her eyes bled heavily.

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Dubbing the incident as extremely shameful and unfortunate, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan ordered for immediate arrest of the criminal at the earliest. The accused subsequently confessed to the crime.

The victim's mother has demanded a death penalty for the accused and support for the child so she can get a good education.

Heartbroken at the barbaric act, Nobel Peace Laureate Kailash Satyarthi not only called for swift action and strictest punishment but also assured full support to the child. Satyarthi Movement's Bachpan Bachao Andolan is providing much-needed support in the case since the registration of FIR and is closely following up with authorities concerned regarding the child's health, rehabilitation and compensation.

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Manish Sharma, Executive Director (Victim Assistance), Bachpan Bachao Andolan said,

Damoh is a small town, the little girl was not getting proper treatment there. She was shifted to the medical college in Jabalpur, and we were in regular touch with the Superintendent, the Dean and the team of doctors who were treating her. Even Kailash Ji was getting regular updates from the doctors. In fact, we were under instructions that, if required, we should shift the child to Delhi, to AIIMS or any other hospital, to get her the best treatment possible. We also provided legal support, counselling and other support to the victim.

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The Special Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Court held the accused as juvenile and referred the matter to Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) for preliminary assessment. JJB referred the matter to Children Court in Damoh for a trial of the juvenile as an adult. JJB has also rejected the accused's bail application in the Children Court.

Presently, the Juvenile through his mother has filed a revision petition in the Madhya Pradesh High Court at Jabalpur challenging his rejection of bail. BBA has appointed a lawyer on behalf of the victim to object to the juvenile's revision petition. The matter is pending at the High Court.

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