Mandsaur rape: Madhya Pradesh Police file chargesheet, 92 witnesses named
Deputy Director of Prosecution BS Thakur said efforts are being made to finish the trial within a month.
The Madhya Pradesh Police on Tuesday filed a 350-page chargesheet against two men accused of raping an eight-year-old girl in Mandsaur district, the Hindustan Times reported. The chargesheet names 92 witnesses and lists over 100 pieces of evidence against the two accused.
The child had gone missing from her school in Hafiz Colony locality on June 26. Irfan and Asif, both residents of Madarpura in Mandsaur town, were identified as the accused. The child was found among some bushes in Lakshman Gate locality on June 27. Irfan was arrested the same day, while Asif was arrested on June 29.
Senior police officer Rakesh Mohan Shukla, who headed the Special Investigation Team, said the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences special court has taken cognisance of the matter. “The police have also recorded statements of 92 witnesses,” he said, according to NDTV.
The accused have been booked on charges of rape, kidnapping and attempt to murder under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Protection of Children against Sexual Offences Act.
Deputy Director of Prosecution BS Thakur said efforts are being made to finish the trial within a month, reported The Daily Pioneer. The accused, who are lodged in the district jail, were not brought to the court for security reasons. They were informed about the chargesheet through video-conferencing.
The child’s father had demanded capital punishment for the accused, while a Bharatiya Janata Party leader had offered Rs 5 lakh to anyone who beheads the perpetrators. Following the incident, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had said rapists were a “burden on the earth” and do not deserve to live.