NEW DELHI: In a deeply disturbing incident in India, a video recently went viral showing a man raping a woman on a footpath in broad daylight in Madhya Pradesh’s Ujjain district.
The assault occurred last week on a busy street corner at Koyla Phatak, one of the city’s major intersections.
Eyewitnesses, who observed the attack, chose to film rather than intervene or assist the victim.
According to City Superintendent of Police (CSP) Ujjain, Om Prakash Mishra, the victim reported the assault at the police station around 3:30 pm on Wednesday. “A female officer was promptly assigned to take her statement, and an FIR was filed after notifying senior officials,” Mishra said.
The victim identified the attacker as a man named Lokesh. The police quickly assembled a team to locate him, and Lokesh was apprehended within two hours of the FIR being lodged. During questioning, Lokesh confessed to the crime. The victim was examined medically, and Lokesh was subsequently presented in court and placed in judicial custody.
Mishra confirmed that the woman’s statement was recorded in court, and a video of the assault has been included as evidence. Additionally, an auto-rickshaw driver who filmed the incident has been arrested.
Police have alleged that Lokesh had promised to marry the victim, intoxicated her, and then assaulted her. This tragic event comes shortly after widespread protests over the rape and murder of a 31-year-old trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. Many have drawn comparisons to the infamous 2012 gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old student in New Delhi.
The incident has ignited a political clash between the Congress party and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The opposition has criticized the “deteriorating law and order” in the state, highlighting that the crime occurred in Chief Minister Mohan Yadav’s constituency.
