BHOPAL: Authorities at Mandsaur district jail in Madhya Pradesh have written to the Mandsaur district court, requesting that the two men accused in the seven-year-old girl's kidnapping and gang-rape be housed at the Central Jail owing to the absence of isolated cell for them at the Mandsaur district jail.
The two accused Irfan Khan Mev and Asif are presently on police remand till Thursday and would be produced before the local court again before the expiry of the remand period the same day. According to sources in Mandsaur district jail, the jail superintendent SK Sharma has written to the Mandsaur District Judge about the security concerns of the two accused against whom there is anger not only among commoners in the district, but also among inmates housed at the district jail.
Owing to this the two accused will have to be kept in secured and isolated cells in the jail, which lacks such isolated cells. The jail superintendent has therefore requested the District Judge in Mandsaur to permit the lodging of the two accused at the nearest Central Jail which is located in Ujjain.
Central Jails have proper provisions for secured isolated cells, hence housing the two accused in such a jail would be better keeping in mind their security concerns. Copies of the letter written to the District Judge have also been sent by the Mandsaur district jail superintendent to the Mandsaur district collector and SP, as well as the DG (Jail). Importantly, widespread public protests have been underway not only in Mandsaur and adjoining districts of MP, but also in neighbouring Pratapgarh district of Rajasthan, demanding that the accused duo be hanged publicly to death for kidnapping, gang raping and attempting to kill the Class III student on June 26.
The Class III student seven-year-old girl was kidnapped from the school gate in Mandsaur town (400 km from Bhopal) while she was waiting for her parents on June 26 evening and later gang-raped at a desolate place by the two men.
The two men had also tried to kill the girl by slitting her throat, but the girl fortunately survived. The minor was found abandoned next afternoon in bushes, around 500 meters from her school. She is presently admitted to MY Hospital in Indore, where her condition is improving gradually.
The two accused were subsequently arrested by the Mandsaur district police and booked for gang rape, kidnapping and attempt to murder, besides being booked under provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act 2012.