M.P. minor girl raped again by same man at his home; arrested

A minor girl was allegedly raped again by the same man, who was out on bail, after the Panna district’s child welfare committee (CWC) handed over the survivor to the accused’s family in neighbouring Chhatarpur district, a police officer said.

The Chhatarpur police have arrested a member of Panna CWC while search is on to nab other accused. The rape accused was arrested last month.

According to the Chhatarpur police, the survivor, 15, a resident of Panna, had gone missing in January and was recovered from Haryana’s Gurugram in February. The accused, identified as Ram Prasad Kushwaha, 25, was arrested for abducting and raping the girl.

Chhatarpur Superintendent of Police, Agam Jain told The Hindu that in March the Panna CWC handed over the girl to her cousin, who was married to the accused’s brother.

“The accused’s family used the CWC’s decision to secure bail for him. After getting out of the jail, he and the girl were living in the same house where, she has alleged, he raped her again,” Mr. Jain said, adding that the second incident took place in April at the accused’s home near Jujharnagar.

Welfare panel member held

While CWC member Ashish Boss has been arrested, Mr. Jain said that a team has gone to Panna to nab the other accused. The accused include CWC chairperson Bhanu Jharia and three of its members, Panna Women and Child Development officer Avadhesh Singh, counsellor Priyanka Singh and two other officials.

An FIR under relevant sections of the Juvenile Justice Act, POCSO Act, SC-ST Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) has been filed against the nine officials and the survivor’s cousin. Luvkushnagar sub-divisional police officer Naveen Dubey said that after the alleged incident, the girl’s family again approached the CWC and she was shifted to the One Stop Centre.