Girls, women not safe in BJP's misrule: Priyanka on MP rape victim's ordeal

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday slammed the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government in Madhya Pradesh after a 12-year-old rape victim was found bleeding on a street in Ujjain, alleging that girls, women, tribals and Dalits are not safe in the BJP's "misrule".

The girl, who was raped and found bleeding on a street in Madhya Pradesh's Ujjain city, was on Wednesday operated upon by a team of specialist doctors and her condition is critical but stable, an official said.

In a post in Hindi on X, Priyanka Gandhi said, "The brutality meted out to a little girl in Ujjain, the city of Lord Mahakal, is soul-shattering. After the torture, she kept wandering from door to door for help for two-and-a-half hours and then fell unconscious on the road but could not get help."

"Is this the state of law and order and women's safety in Madhya Pradesh? Girls, women, tribals and Dalits are not safe in the 20 years of BJP's misrule," the Congress general secretary said.

What is the use of making election announcements in the name of 'Ladli Behna' if the girls cannot even get protection and help, Priyanka Gandhi said, slamming the BJP government.

The Congress on Wednesday accused the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh of being incapable of protecting the dignity of women and girls in the state after a video clip of the 12-year-old rape victim found bleeding on a street in Ujjain went viral on social media.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former party chief Rahul Gandhi targeted the BJP, saying Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan will be able to hear the screams of women only if they take some time off election campaigning.

Amid massive public outrage, Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra said that a special investigation team (SIT) has been formed to probe the shocking crime and a suspect has been detained.