Ujjain Rape Case: The father of the accused is demanding capital punishment for his son while refusing to see him or protect him in court following the “shameful act”.
In the wake of a shocking case involving the alleged rape of a 12-year-old girl in Madhya Pradesh’s Ujjain, the father of the accused is demanding capital punishment for his son, while the local bar association has made an appeal to lawyers not to represent him in court. The incident has also ignited political controversy, with the opposition Congress party targeting the BJP government and questioning the silence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Bharat Soni, an auto-rickshaw driver, was arrested in connection with the case on Thursday.
His father, speaking to reporters in Ujjain, expressed his condemnation of the heinous act. “It is a shameful act. Neither have I gone to the hospital to meet him, nor will I go to the police station or courts. My son has committed a crime, therefore he should be hanged,” he stated, as quoted by news agency PTI.
Meanwhile, Ashok Yadav, President of the Ujjain Bar Council, conveyed that the incident had severely tarnished the reputation of the temple city. He urged their members not to take up the case of the accused.
Bharat Soni’s arrest came three days after a young girl, approximately 12 years old, was discovered injured, wandering the city streets. Subsequent medical examination confirmed that she had been subjected to rape.
During Soni’s arrest, he sustained injuries when he allegedly attempted to flee while being taken to the crime scene for investigation, according to the police. The victim is currently receiving treatment at the Government Maharaja Tukojirao Holkar Women’s Hospital in Indore, where she underwent a major surgery on Wednesday, as per PTI’s report.
A counselor who interacted with the victim determined that she hails from the Satna district of Madhya Pradesh. Police had previously registered a complaint about a girl of the same age going missing in Satna, but confirmation is pending regarding whether the rape survivor is indeed the same girl.