Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan | Photo Credit: ANI

Bhopal: The Madhya Pradesh Cabinet on Sunday approved the death sentence for rape convicts who are involved in cases involving minor girls of the age of 12 years and below.

The resolution that awards the death sentence to gang rape convicts has also been passed. The amendment in penal code to increase the fine and punishment for rape convicts was also approved by the state cabinet.

The state's home minister Bhupendra Singh had earlier stated that this move will be taken to curb the rising crimes against women in Madhya Pradesh.

There have been multiple reports of rape and sexual assault from the state in the past two months.

‘She lured me with a chocolate’: 4 people, including a woman, arrested for 10-year-old’s gang-rape in Bhopal

Earlier this month, four people, including a 67-year-old man and a woman, were arrested for the gang-rape of a 10-year-old girl in the state's capital.

According to the police, the woman, known as Suman Aunty to the 10-year-old girl, resided in the same locality as the victim. Reportedly, on a number of occasions, Suman had lured the child to her house with the promise of giving her a chocolate. She would then let the three men rape the girl.

SHOCKING: Woman in Bhopal gangraped by five men for seven hours, allegedly turned away by police

A UPSC aspirant returning from her coaching classes was gang-raped in Bhopal, resulting in public outrage over the increasing instances of crimes against women.