In yet another shocking incident, an infant has been raped and killed by a 21-year-old in Indore, a city in west-central India.
The incident came to light on Friday (20) after the body of the baby, who is believed to be around six months, was found from the basement of a building. The girl child bore injuries on her private parts and head. The child died due to injuries on her head.
The suspect, a family member, has been arrested, thanks to CCTV footage that showed the man arriving in a cycle and picking up the baby.
“Policemen were in the area when the incident took place. But the four-month-old girl was sleeping with other men and women and the perpetrator was one of them. The policemen didn’t know that he was not a family member and had ill intentions,” DIG Harinarayanachari Mishra was quoted as saying by the Times of India.
The baby's father sells balloons and like the Kathua victim's family, the infant's family are also nomads.
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In recent times, there has been an increase in the number of rape cases reported in India, and the country is in the process of enforcing harsher punishments. On Friday, the Central government said it has begun the process to ensure those convicted of child rape get the death penalty.
Last week, Cabinet Minister for Women & Child Development Maneka Gandhi said she intended to ask for the death penalty for those convicted of raping children below 12 years.
"Am deeply, deeply disturbed by the rape case in Kathua, and all the recent rape cases. I and the ministry intend to bring an amendment to the POCSO Act asking for the death penalty for the rape of children below 12 years of age," she said.
Prime minister Narendra Modi takes part in a yoga session during International Day of Yoga celebrations, in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. (PMO via PTI Photo)
FILE PHOTO: Kim Leadbeater reacts during an interview about the Assisted Dying Bill in Westminster, London, Britain, October 15, 2024. REUTERS/Jaimi Joy