CCTV footage of a sexual assault victim wandering around in the Indian city of Ujjain for more than two hours with chopped clothes and wounds sparked anger on social media.
Following the release of CCTV footage showing a man allegedly dismissing a little girl who approached him, many people expressed outrage.
Local law enforcement officers, on the other hand, told the media that the girl who wandered through the streets did receive assistance from several people.
A medical examination by a senior police official concluded that the girl had been sexually assaulted.
On Thursday, Ujjain police superintendent Sachin Sharma told ANI news agency that they were interrogating five people who had contact with the girl.
He continued to say that the child was initially disoriented and unable to provide any information about her whereabouts. The authorities have not yet officially determined the girl’s age.
After a brief CCTV video leaked online this week, the event drew significant outrage from politicians and on social media. The footage shows the girl, who appears to be bleeding, going down the street on Monday.
According to Mr Sharma, the girl had been missing on Sunday from Satna, which is more than 700 kilometers (435 miles) away from where she was eventually recovered.
Rahul Sharma, described in media sources as a Hindu priest, came to seek aid after discovering her in distress.
“She couldn’t speak,” Rahul Sharma remembered. Her eyes were swollen. I asked what had happened, but she spoke in a language I didn’t understand. I also gave her a pen and paper, but she couldn’t write anything.” He dressed her and immediately phoned the police, who transported her to the hospital.
On Wednesday night, a police statement said the girl’s injuries had been treated and she had undergone surgery, but no other details were given. The BBC attempted to contact Ujjain police for more information.
On Wednesday, Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Misra reported that the girl’s condition has stabilized.
In the aftermath of the incident, state opposition leaders chastised the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for failing to ensure the protection of women. The state BJP president, VD Sharma, pledged that the police will take “stringent action,” and that the perpetrators would not escape prosecution.
The chairperson of the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights, Priyank Kanoongo, declared that he has contacted local police and administrative officials in Madhya Pradesh to learn more about the occurrence.
Yogita Bhayana, an activist who has dealt with multiple rape survivors, underlined her commitment to find the girl’s family and support them.
