15-Year-Old Dragged Inside School Compound, Gang-Raped In Madhya Pradesh

A 15-year-old girl was gang-raped by two men and a minor inside the premises of a government primary school in Madhya Pradesh's Mauganj district on Friday.

Police said the girl had stepped out of her home to fetch water when the accused, all residents of the same village, overpowered her and dragged her inside the school compound. The accused then took turns raping her under threat. When she tried to resist, they assaulted her brutally before fleeing the scene.

Hours later, when the teenager failed to return home, her family began searching for her. She was found injured and unconscious near a paddy field close to the school boundary. After regaining consciousness, she recounted the horrific incident to her family, who immediately took her to the Laur police station and lodged a complaint.

Superintendent of Police Dilip Soni said the police took the matter "extremely seriously" and that "the minor was detained, while the two adult accused were arrested within ten hours of the complaint being filed."

The girl's family has alleged that while they were on their way to file the report, some policemen assaulted them and snatched their mobile phones. SP Soni denied the allegations, calling them "unfounded," and said the police acted swiftly and sensitively in the matter.

The survivor has been admitted to Sanjay Gandhi Hospital in Rewa and her medical examination has been completed, officials said.

Preliminary investigation revealed that the accused minor and the survivor attended the same school, which was also the scene of the crime. One of the accused had failed Class 9, and all three had dropped out of school. Their families are involved in farming.

Officials said the victim's mother occasionally worked at one of the accused's homes and that the accused minor had been stalking the girl for some time.

Police said a case under Sections 376-D (gang rape) and POCSO Act provisions has been registered and further investigation is underway.