Houses of accused of raping 12-year-old girl razed

The local administration on Saturday demolished the houses of two men accused of raping and brutalising a 12-year-old girl in the temple town of Maihar in Madhya Pradesh's Satna district, an official said.

The accused, Ravindra Kumar and Atul Bhadoliya, allegedly raped the girl, bit her and inserted a hard object in her private parts on Thursday, police sources stated, but a senior official said this can be confirmed only after her medical examination report is received.

Following the incident, the chief municipal officer of Maihar Municipal Council on Friday issued notices to the families of the two men seeking documents related to their land and buildings, sub-divisional officer of police (SDOP) Lokesh Dabar said.

A probe revealed that the houses of both the accused were illegal, he said, adding that Bhadoliya's house was constructed on ‘nazool' land (government land used for non-agricultural purposes), while Kumar's house was built without permission.

"Both the houses were demolished this morning," Dabar said.

According to eye-witnesses, when the demolition squad reached Bhadoliya's house, his family members requested officials to take any step only after the probe is completed. But they went ahead with the demolition.

The duo, who worked for the trust managing a famous temple in Maihar town, allegedly lured the girl and took her to an isolated place, where they raped and brutalised her, the police said.

The profusely bleeding girl, who also bore bite marks on her body, was admitted to a hospital at the divisional headquarters Rewa for advanced medical care, they said.

Earlier, Superintendent of Police (SP) Ashutosh Gupta had told PTI, “I am not denying that a stick or some other object was inserted into the 12-year-old's private parts by accused Ravindra Kumar Ravi and Atul Bhadoliya. But this is something that can only be confirmed only in a medical report."

He said the survivor is undergoing treatment at Sanjay Gandhi Hospital in Rewa and senior officials had visited the facility to inquire about her health.

A team of doctors is monitoring her health and if required, she can also be shifted to Bhopal or Delhi for further treatment, he said on Saturday.

The accused, both aged 30, were produced in a local court on Friday and were remanded to 14-day judicial custody, Gupta said.

The duo was booked under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, police said.

After the incident, Maa Sharda Devi Mandir Management Committee, Maihar in a press statement said it had sacked Kumar and Bhadoliya, employed with them, forthwith after a criminal case was registered against them.

“Their indecent act has tarnished the image of the temple,” said the statement.