Madhya Pradesh: A New rape capital?

Admin

6 months ago

Author: Vaidika Pandey, Avantika University

To the point

A recent news of a brutal rape has been ubiquitous all around the state of Madhya Pradesh. On Saturday, 24th May 2025, a 45 year old women from a tribal community was brutally gang-raped by two men of the same community which led to her unfortunate death. The case involve around 90kms of district head of the Khandwa district of Madhya Pradesh, India.

The Khandwa Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Rajesh Raghuvanshi said that prima facie, it appears that the woman was severely assaulted and she bled to death.

The final report will be discovered after the post mortem report with has been processing under a close observation of the police department in the district hospital of Khandwa.

The poor women was heinously tortured with a wooden stick or rod so that her intestine pouched outside her body and she breathing her last breath near the village of Khandwa.

The victim and the accused met in the evening of the 24th May 2025 at a wedding function where later on the two accused Hari and Sunil went to there home with the women, influenced in alcohol they committed this heinous act in the backyard of the home. When the family was informed about the incident instead of taking her hospital in such a severe condition they took her to their home and after when she died at the afternoon after which the people called at 100 helpline number and reported the whole incident.

Abstract

Rape has been declared as a crime considering the seriousness of the crime and the pain and the mental torture and the societal objection a women/victim faces and the struggle to start a new life forgetful the past of that grievous act. And to the many where a innocent women loose her life. These unlawful sexual acts and activities led to rupture the of the whole life of and around the victim. These women relative crime are increasing at the speed of light. According to the reports a women has been raped once in every 20 minutes and the rate of rapes being committed in India has been increasing dangerously. Though the people argue that this number will surely be much more as many of the cases are not even being reported, the reasons can be pressurizing women to keep mum to safe the pride of the family in the society-the dark reality of our society and the condition of the female members as they cannot even stand out for herself. The safety of the women specially in a country like India where the females have always been considered as objects and a slave to serve males is a prime duty to be taken care of by the government of India. It is thus that the opposition which the congress party in the state has alleged the party and used the statement to call the state becoming a New rape capital and accusing the government of leaving the public blindfold, also the congress leader has directly pointed out the administration of doing nothing about the egregious acts.

The proof

It is for the sake of the safety and the protection of the women to take strict actions taking into account of the rape ratio of the state starting the situation and severity of the matter. Despite Delhi being the rape capital of the country, the other state like Madhya Pradesh are competing to be one as the societal condition and ethics are at high risk no matter what the measures are to conceal and abolish them. The reports and data shows 7,294 rape cases in 2024, and a direct 19% up from 2020’s 6,134 cases. These data are the proof of the seriousness of offence rising in the state and a direct question to the government of Madhya Pradesh about there efforts to avail this matter of concern. It is deeply saddening and a shame on this modernized society that we are constantly failing to protect our mother, daughters and sisters and the most important part of the world.

Use of legal jargon

The offense of rape and the punishment for this crime has been very clearly yet precisely defined in the Bharatiya Nayay Sanitha, 2023

According to section-64 of BNS 2023: A man is said to commit “rape” if he—

Penetrates his penis, to any extent, into the vagina, mouth, urethra or anus of

A woman or makes her to do so with him or any other person; or

Inserts, to any extent, any object or a part of the body, not being the penis,

Into the vagina, the urethra or anus of a woman or makes her to do so with him or any

Other person; or

The vagina, urethra, anus or any part of body of such woman or makes her to do so with

Him or any other person; or

Applies his mouth to the vagina, anus, urethra of a woman or makes her to do

So with him or any other person,

Under the circumstances falling under any of the following seven descriptions:—

Against her will;
Without her consent;
With her consent, when her consent has been obtained by putting her or

Any person in whom she is interested, in fear of death or of hurt;

With her consent, when the man knows that he is not her husband and that

Her consent is given because she believes that he is another man to whom she is or

Believes herself to be lawfully married;

With her consent when, at the time of giving such consent, by reason of

Unsoundness of mind or intoxication or the administration by him personally or through

Another of any stupefying or unwholesome substance, she is unable to understand

The nature and consequences of that to which she gives consent;

With or without her consent, when she is under eighteen years of age;
When she is unable to communicate consent.

The punishment has also been described very clearly in the acts provided by the legislature in section 64(1) of BNS.

Case law

There are numerous cases where females specially a tribal women has raped brutally and risk her life out of the personal pleasurable act of others. Some of these has been discussed below

Athura case (1972, Maharashtra )

Athura, a 16 year old girl from tribal community entered in a relationship with a boy from the same community and married him. Later here brother filed complaint of the boy of kidnapping his sister. The policemen called both the families and recorded there statements and kept Athura with them in the name of investigating the matter. When the girl didn’t returned home her partner felt suspicious and approached to the police station with the crowd only to found the girl raped by two police officers. The case was first filled under the district court where the two accused were freed stating that the girl was a ‘shocking liar’ and someone ‘habitual to sex’. and then to the high court where the court announced ten years of punishment to both the accused. Later when the case went to supreme court, the court again acquitted the two policemen on the basis that she herself didn’t volunteered the complaint and were no sign of any struggle or injury on her body.

These judgement by supreme court led to the sudden outrage of the people, sparking serious protest by the public.

Nirmala panta case (2918)

On 28th of July 2018, A 13 year old girl named Nirmala Panta was found in a suspicious condition in a sugarcane field near her home in Kanchanpur, Nepal were she was raped and murdered. This case is a prime example of how even the people who deliver justice can be fraudulent. In this case a journalist who was a relative of the accused was found to be delivering wrong and misrepresentative news related to the case which misled the whole track of case and the understanding of the public and made a defamatory statement about the victim’s mother of selling her daughter’s justice herself, in this case even the investigation officer was found to be destroying the evidence of the case. Later the justice was prevailed though late and the culprits were punishment accordingly.

Conclusion

The government of Madhya Pradesh needs to take certain measures and assertive which are imperative to step upon. Considering the current situation of the state, the rising scenarios are not a good asset to be shown as healthy society and the mind-set of the youth. As the rapes are the not only the offense committed against a person/victim but against a society as a whole, this aspect needs to be covered with a high speed. These appalling deeds are never to be entertained and are the felony that is must punishable.

FAQS

What are sexual offences?

The offences which are committed by a person whether male or female out of sexual feeling or personal pleasure or desires and which hurt the other person are generally considered as sexual offences. This offenses are a serious crime and clearly defined there punishment in BNS 2023.

What are the major guidelines provided by Madhya Pradesh government?

The government of Madhya Pradesh has introduced “GUIDELINES FOR MEDICO-LEGAL CARE FOR SURVIVORS/VICTIMS OF SEXUAL VIOLENCE” to help the victims of the sexual violence which has been strictly followed across the state.

What have the state government done to cope this incidence?

The government and the administration was quick enough to perform sudden investigation on the whole matter and within a matter of weeks the police department captured the two male accused.

Reference