Thousands took to the streets in central India this week demanding the death sentence for the perpetrators of the rape of a seven-year-old girl, who was dragged from her school while waiting for her parents to pick her up.
Two men have been arrested on suspicion of crime in the town of Manchaur, according to police. The victim is being treated and is recovering, doctors announced.
The government of Prime Minister Narendra Monti has introduced the death penalty for raping girls under the age of 12 and toughened the sentence for perpetrators whose victims are under 16 after the rapes of an eight-year-old and a young woman in two states where his party rules earlier in time.
In 2016, 40.000 rapes were recorded in India and the victims, in 40% of these cases, were children. Every day the newspapers publish new cases of sexual violence against women.
In Manchaur, the seven-year-old girl was waiting for her parents to pick her up from school, who were late, police said. Material from the security cameras of neighboring stores shows her moving away with one of the accused.
Police later found the girl unconscious behind bushes in the area, said Manoz Sikh, the Manchaur district police chief, adding that the two men were being held.
"Our investigation is almost complete. We are waiting for the doctors to allow us to talk to the victim. "We just want to confirm a few things with her and then submit our final report to the court."
He said thousands of people had protested in about eight cities in the region, many of them demanding the end of the sentences for the accused.