A spate of rape cases involving very young children has shocked New Delhi and prompted calls for authorities to do more to stop them.
Two teenagers, aged 16 and 17, were arrested Sunday for the alleged abduction and rape of a two-and-a-half year old girl, who went missing from outside her home in Western Delhi.
“The girl was first abducted in front of her house, then she was taken to a park nearby where she was raped,” deputy police commissioner Pushpendar Kumar told CNN Monday.
The minor’s family and local residents were searching for the missing girl when they found her bleeding in the park, he said.
Separate case
Separately, a five-year-old girl was raped in Eastern Delhi on Friday night police said.
Three people have been arrested in connection with the rape, joint commissioner Sanjay Beniwal told CNN. He said that the rape was committed by one of the men in the presence of two of the arrested.
The three accused and the girl’s family were co-tenants, Beniwal added.
Both girls are recovering in the hospital, and are in a stable condition, according to officials.
These latest incidents come within one week of a four-year-old being raped, again in the capital. In that case, police have arrested one man for the alleged rape, deputy police commissioner Vijay Singh told CNN.
Minister criticizes Modi
When asked about the recent cases of child rape, Delhi’s Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal blasted Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his “silence” over violent sex attacks.
He demanded to be able to take control of the Delhi police, which currently reports to the Prime Minister.
“I will not remain silent. We will not allow the Prime Minister to sleep peacefully if women in Delhi do not get proper safety and the present trend of rapes continues,” Kejriwal told reporters on Sunday.
Student organizations held a protest in front of the Delhi police headquarters the same day, condemning police for their “inefficiency.”
In 2014, India recorded 13,766 cases of rapes on minors — those younger than 18 years old — according to official data. Of those, more than 1,000 cases were reported in New Delhi, the National Crimes Record Data shows.