PM condemns rape of Delhi minor,doctors at AIIMS say the girl is stable

“It is widely accepted that,as a country,we have vast improvements to make in these (safety,security and status of women) areas. These issues came into sharper focus after the horrific gangrape incident in Delhi last December.

“The gruesome assault on a little child a few days back reminds us of the need to work collectively to root out this sort of depravity from our society,” Singh said.

The two brutal incidents – gangrape of a girl in a moving bus on December 16 last year and rape of a five-year-old girl earlier this week – had resulted in agitations by various sections,demanding better law and order to ensure women’s security and stringent punishment to the culprits.

The Prime Minister said the agitations that have followed the two incidents also point to the need for showing concern and sensitivity while dealing with public anxiety that such incidents generate.

“Our government has moved with speed in strengthening the law to be able to deal more effectively with offences against women. However,this is but a small part of what needs to be done.

“All of us,as responsible citizens,have a special obligation to contribute to the social and economic empowerment of women in our country,” he said,inaugurating the 8th Civil Services Day function here.

The condition of the five-year-old is ‘gradually’ recovering and there is ‘no danger’ to her life though it will take another two weeks to discharge her from the hospital,doctors said today.

Dr D K Sharma,Medical Superintendent of AIIMS,where she was admitted two days back,told reporters that she is responding well to the anti-biotics given to her.

“We are trying to control the infection in her body and she is responding well. “It will take at least two weeks to discharge her from the hospital,” he said.

The victim has undergone colostomy procedure and surgical care of perennial injuries.

“She is showing gradual recovery and has slept well in the night. At present her vital parameters are stable. Her colostomy is functioning,” he said.

“She is conscious,alert and talking to parents,doctors and nurses. She is having mild fever which is showing improvement. As such there is no danger to her life,” Dr Sharma said.

The victim is being looked after by team of experienced doctors led by Dr Sandeep Agarwala from paediatric surgery.

Asked whether the victim talked about the incident,Dr Sharma said she is very young and does not know what she

underwent.

Next medical bulletin of the child will be issued tomorrow morning.

Meanwhile,the Delhi Police is investigating whether a second person was involved in the rape of the girl.

However,Delhi Police spokesperson Rajan Bhagat issued a statement denying “rumours” of arresting a second accused or looking for him.

A senior police official said they will investigate whether any other person is involved in the incident either in raping the girl or helping the accused Manoj Kumar,who was arrested from Bihar,flee from the capital after the incident on April 15.

The girl was locked in his ground floor rented accommodation in east Delhi’s Gandhi Nagar by her neighbour Kumar (22) on April 15 and brutally raped her before fleeing thinking that the girl is dead.

“We are questioning Kumar. As of now he has not told us about a second accused. Further investigations and interrogation are on,” the official said without ruling out the possibility of the emergence of a second person.

Kumar was brought to Delhi from Patna after his arrest from his in-laws’ house in Muzaffarpur district.

The rape has outraged the capital with many hitting the streets demanding justice for the victim and punishing policemen who were lax in helping the family.