In another shocking incident in India, a video recently surfaced showing a man raping a woman in broad daylight on a footpath in Madhya Pradesh’s Ujjain district. The assault took place last week in Koyla Phatak, one of the busiest intersections in the city, with passersby choosing to record the crime instead of intervening to assist the victim.
Ujjain’s City Superintendent of Police (CSP), Om Prakash Mishra, stated that the incident was reported to the police by the victim at around 3:30 PM on Wednesday. According to Mishra, the woman came to the station and reported the rape, after which a female officer was called to take her statement. An FIR (first information report) was promptly filed following approval from senior officers.
In her complaint, the victim identified the perpetrator as a man named Lokesh. Mishra further explained that a team was immediately dispatched to search for Lokesh, and within two hours of the FIR being registered, he was apprehended. During interrogation, Lokesh confessed to the crime. He was presented before the court, where he was remanded to judicial custody.
The police also confirmed that the victim underwent a medical examination, and her statement was recorded in court, where she reiterated the details of the assault. A video of the incident, filmed by a bystander, was submitted to the police and is now part of the evidence.
An auto rickshaw driver, who filmed the crime instead of intervening, has also been arrested, according to reports from *India Today*. The police revealed that Lokesh had allegedly promised to marry the victim, gave her liquor, and then raped her.
This horrifying incident comes just weeks after India witnessed national outrage over the rape and murder of a 31-year-old trainee doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. Many have drawn parallels between these recent cases and the infamous 2012 gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old student on a moving bus in New Delhi.
The latest assault has fueled a political dispute between the opposition Congress party and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The Congress party has voiced concerns over the “deteriorating law and order” situation in the state, particularly highlighting that the crime occurred in Chief Minister Mohan Yadav’s constituency.
