Thousansd of residents in Mandsaur took to the streets on Thursday.

Mandsaur child rape: CM orders quick probe & tough action

Mandsaur lawyers vow they will not defend accused

INDORE: Amid shock and outrage over the rape of a seven-year-old girl in Mandsaur, Muslim community leaders on Thursday disowned the accused and demanded the death sentence for him. They announced that they will not allow his body to be buried in any community burial ground in the district.“There is no place for such a monster in the community. He should be hanged,” Waqf Anjuman Islam Committee Sadar Mohd Yunus Sheikh told reporters after leading a delegation to submit a memorandum to Mandsaur SP Manoj Singh.Several Muslim organisations came forward to demand a speedy trial in fast track court and capital punishment to the convict. Police have arrested a porter, Irfan Mev alias Bhaiyyu, for the horrifying crime. “Such a heinous crime cannot be pardoned. We have decided that we will now allow the culprit’s body to be buried in any of the community burial grounds in the district,” Sheikh said.Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has ordered police and the administration toconduct a thorough investigation and ensure speedy trial, Mandsaur MLA Yashpal Singh Sisodia said.The girl clings to life in Indore after a series of surgeries on Thursday. Doctors hinted that she was assaulted with a penetrative object, causing extensive damage.Though police have arrested Irfan, they don’t rule out involvement of other miscreants. “We are exploring the angle of gang rape. The girl is not in a position to give any statement,” Mandsaur SP Manoj Singh told TOI. Police say Irfan lured the girl to a secluded place on Tuesday evening after promising toffees and snacks. She was found in a field the next morning, covered in blood and with her throat slit.Police identified Irfan from CCTV footage and arrested him. The bloodstained uniform of the child was found on him. He has been booked for repeated aggravated penetrative sexual assault under POCSO and for kidnap, rape and attempted murder under IPC. He is in police remand for five days. “We are interrogating the accused, details of which can’t be divulged at this juncture,” Singh said.The crime also jolted the child welfare committee out of slumber. The committee has warned to penalize schools of they don’t check escort cards when parents or family members arrive to take back the children. Initial probe has revealed that child’s school had defunct CCTV cameras. The panel has ordered all schools to install CCTV cameras.Mandsaur lawyers have announced they will not defend Irfan in court. The Mandsaur Bar Association took the decision to boycott Irfan and said that an army of 100 lawyers will appear on behalf of the victimized girl.The girl was found brutally raped and with her throat slit in a secluded area in Mandsaur on Wednesday, a day after she went missing from the school. Police had arrested Irfan on basis of the CCTV grabs showing him escorting the girl away from the school.