NEW DELHI — A 5-year-old woman was raped by a neighbor on the grounds of the US Embassy in India’s capital, the police mentioned on Thursday, reviv
NEW DELHI — A 5-year-old woman was raped by a neighbor on the grounds of the US Embassy in India’s capital, the police mentioned on Thursday, reviving a debate about sexual violence in opposition to ladies and kids within the nation.
The 25-year-old son of a housekeeper on the embassy was detained in reference to the assault, which passed off on Saturday in residing quarters reserved for assist workers, in accordance with Pragya Anand, the assistant commissioner of police in Chanakyapuri, the capital’s diplomatic space.
The woman’s dad and mom have been away when the assault passed off, officers mentioned. The woman’s father labored in a support-staff position on the embassy, in accordance with the police. The closely fortified compound, one of many greatest American missions on this planet, is topped with barbed wire and sits in one among New Delhi’s most safe neighborhoods.
Her dad and mom filed a case in opposition to the person on Sunday, and he was taken into custody on expenses underneath the Safety of Youngsters from Sexual Offenses. The 2012 legislation launched stricter punishment — together with the demise penalty — for these convicted of crimes in opposition to minors in India.
America Embassy said in a statement: “We have been deeply disturbed by the alleged misconduct. We promptly took motion once we have been knowledgeable of the allegation, and introduced this matter to the eye of the police. After all, we’re cooperating totally with them.”
India has been wracked by a number of high-profile instances of sexual assaults lately.
In 2012, a 23-year-old lady was attacked by several men with an iron rod on a personal bus in New Delhi and left on the facet of the street. The lady later died from her accidents, setting off nationwide protests and spurring the federal government to create a fast-track court for rape instances and to introduce capital punishment for significantly brutal sexual crimes.
The nation additionally recoiled at a 2018 case in a gated neighborhood in Chennai, where an 11-year-old girl was repeatedly raped by a number of males who lured her with delicate drinks laced with medicine, and filmed themselves assaulting her, brandishing knives and threatening to launch the movies if the woman advised her household, the police mentioned.
And final 12 months, 4 males accused of raping and killing a younger lady close to the southern metropolis of Hyderabad were shot dead under a bridge by police officers who had taken them to the scene of the crime.
Rights activists questioned the police’s account, whereas many others celebrated and hailed the officers as heroes, showering them with rose petals.