Increasing atrocities on tribals in Madhya Pradesh: 13-year-old minor gang-raped in Alirajpur

In India, there is provision for strict punishment under POCSO Act and rape laws, but due to slow judicial process and delay in cases, there is no fear in the minds of criminals.

Published on: 19 Mar 2025, 3:38 pm

Bhopal. Cases of atrocities on the tribal community are increasing continuously in Madhya Pradesh. The latest incident is from Alirajpur district, where a case of gang rape of a 13-year-old tribal minor has come to light. The incident took place in a village about 10 km away from the district headquarters. Police have arrested five accused.

How did the incident happen?

ASP Pradeep Patel said that on Monday evening around 7:30 pm, the victim was alone at her mother’s shop. Her mother runs the shop. During this time five youths reached there. Taking advantage of the opportunity, three of them raped the minor, while two accused kept watch outside. When the girl screamed during the incident, her mother reached the spot. Seeing her, four accused ran away, but one was caught by the people and handed over to the police.

Police have arrested all five accused. The victim already knew two of them. One of the accused Ajmer Singh already has a case registered against him. The names of the arrested accused are: Ajmer son of Kasu Rawat (22), Rahul son of Gildar Rawat, Arvind son of Ramesh Rawat, Nilesh son of Sildar, Rakesh son of Jagar Singh

demand for strict action

The victim’s family has expressed anger over this heinous crime. They said that injustice has been done to the girl and the culprits should be given the harshest punishment.

The victim’s mother said, “We are poor people, we cannot wander from door to door for justice. The police should take action as soon as possible so that our daughter gets justice.”

Why are atrocities on tribals increasing?

Cases of atrocities on the tribal community are constantly increasing in Madhya Pradesh. According to government data, the highest number of cases of crime against Dalits and tribals are being registered in the state at the national level.

Incidents of rape, murder and other serious crimes are continuously coming to light in tribal dominated districts like Alirajpur, Jhabua, Dhar, Khargone, Barwani.

Articles 15(5) and 46 of the Constitution protect the rights of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. But the ground reality is that the process of providing justice to tribals is slow and complicated.

Congress leader Arun Yadav has targeted the government over this incident. He also wrote on the social media platform X- “Madhya Pradesh ranks first in cases of atrocities on tribals and rape of minors. We demand from the government that the culprits should be given strict punishment and the victim should get justice.”

NCRB figures:

• 4,45,256 cases of crime against women were registered in 2022, which is 4% more than 4,28,278 cases in 2021.
• 1,62,449 cases of crimes against children were registered, which is 8.7% more than 1,49,404 cases in 2021.
• In Bhopal alone, girls were targeted in 758 cases in 2022.

Main reasons behind increasing crimes against minors

According to experts, such incidents are not just the result of the mentality of criminals, but are also increasing due to social and administrative weaknesses.

In many cases, neighbours, relatives or acquaintances make girls their victims. This shows that the scope of criminals in society has become much wider and dangerous. Public places like schools, coaching institutes and fairs, which were earlier considered safe, have now become the new hideouts of criminals. The Bhopal incident is a big example of this. In many cases, it has been seen that the criminals are in a state of alcohol or intoxication, due to which they become barbaric and commit heinous crimes.

What does the law say?

In cases of rape of minors, there is a provision for strict punishment under the POCSO Act 2012. Also, under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act 1989, if the crime is committed against a tribal, then strict legal action is taken.

Is the fear of laws over?

In India, there is provision for strict punishment under the POCSO Act and rape laws, but due to slow judicial process and delay in cases, criminals have no fear. Often children are unable to recognize the incidents happening with them, due to which criminals easily prey on them. In many cases, families also keep quiet, due to which criminals get a free hand.

POCSO Act: The law is strict, but implementation is lax

In India, POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act was implemented in 2012, under which the culprits are given harsh punishment, and in some cases there is a provision for death penalty. But despite this, crimes have not been curbed. This incident of Bhopal is the biggest proof of this. In Madhya Pradesh, there is a provision for death penalty in cases of rape of a minor. But despite this, the increase in incidents is worrying.

Child Protection Commission took cognizance

Onkar Singh, a member of the Madhya Pradesh State Child Protection Commission, told The Muknayak that the matter has come to notice and the commission has sought an investigation report from the Superintendent of Police. Describing the incident as unfortunate, he said that after receiving the investigation report, action will be taken as per rules and a recommendation will be made to give strict punishment to the culprits.