"Gave her clothes, called cops": Ujjain priest who helped teen rape survivor

mangaloretoday.com

Ujjain, Sep 28, 2023: The priest in Madhya Pradesh’s Ujjain, who came to the rescue of a 15-year-old rape survivor, has described the horrifying state she was in when he found her. Rahul Sharma is associated with an ashram in Badnagar road, about 15 km from Ujjain city.

 

Around 9.30 am on Monday, he was leaving the ashram for some work when he spotted the girl, bleeding and half-naked, near the gates. "I gave her my clothes. She was bleeding. She could not speak. Her eyes were swollen. I called 100. When I could not reach the cops over the helpline, I contacted the Mahakal police station and informed them about the situation. Police reached the ashram in about 20 minutes," he said.

A CCTV footage of the girl, injured and half-naked, going door to door for help but receiving none has sparked massive outrage. One man is seen shooing her away as she approaches him. She got help only after she reached an ashram in the neighbourhood.

The priest said the girl was speaking to them, but they could not understand her properly. "We asked her name, about her family. We assured her that she is safe and that she should share contact details of her family so that we can get in touch. But she was very scared," Mr Sharma said.

The priest said the girl was able to trust him as they waited for the cops to arrive. "Whenever someone else approached her, she tried to hide behind me. Then police came and took her with them."

The girl was talking about some place, the priest said, adding that they could not understand the location.

Police have formed a Special Investigation Team to investigate the incident. A case of rape has been registered and provisions of the stringent Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act have been invoked.

State home minister Narottam Mishra yesterday said the condition of the girl is now stable.