By Express News Service

BHOPAL: Yet another shocker has been reported from Madhya Pradesh, this time a Class X girl has been allegedly raped before being burnt alive by the accused in Sagar district – the home district of state’s home and transport minister Bhupendra Singh.

The horrific incident of the 16-year-old girl having been allegedly raped and then burnt alive by a 20-year-old youth Ravindra Chaddar in connivance with the teenage girl’s cousin brother has been reported from Jujharpura village in Bandri police station area on Thursday evening.

The concerned Jhujharpura village is part of state home minister Bhupendra Singh’s assembly constituency Khurai.

Primary police investigations based on the spot probe as well as the teenager’s dying statement made to her younger brother just before breathing last has revealed that the girl’s cousin Bhagat Raikwar informed friend Ravindra Chaddar about the girl being alone in the house on Thursday evening.

Taking advantage of the girl being alone in the house, the prime accused Ravindra allegedly sneaked into her house and brutalized her.

The incident came to light, when the girl’s younger brother on returning home on Thursday evening, saw the accused Ravindra fleeing from the scene after putting latches outside the doors of the girl’s house. When the girl’s brother rushed to the house and opened the door, he was shocked to see badly burnt sister writhing in pain.

“In her last statements made to young brother, the girl stated that she was set ablaze by Ravindra only. Later, her parents alleged that the prime accused raped her before burning her alive,” a senior police officer probing the ghastly incident said on Friday.

Subsequent investigations also revealed that it was the teenage girl’s cousin brother Bhagat Raikwar who had played a key role in the alleged crime by informing friend Ravindra, about the girl being alone in her house on Thursday evening.

“Based on the girl’s dying statement, her family’s statements and also circumstantial evidence, the police have lodged a case of rape and murder under Sections 376 and 302 of IPC. Both the accused, including the deceased girl’s cousin have been arrested and are being questioned,” Sagar district superintendent of police Satyendra Shukla told The New Indian Express on Friday.

“We’re also awaiting the autopsy report of the girl for confirming the rape allegations made by the girl’s kin,” said Shukla.

According to the Crime in India 2016 statistics released by National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), Madhya Pradesh reported maximum 4882 cases of rape during 2016 in the entire country, which meant that at least 13 girls and women were raped in the state every day in 2016.

Statistics with the MP Police’s State Crime Records Bureau (SCRB) revealed that a total of 5300 women and girls were reportedly raped in MP during 2017, which meant more than 14 girls and women were raped/sexually assaulted daily in the central Indian state during 2017 – a 8.5% jump in rape cases during the year when compared with 2016 NCRB figures.