Even as Telangana witnessed a ghastly incident this week, when a man raped and killed a nine-month-old baby in Hanmakonda town, triggering massive protests, another case has come to light from Hyderabad, where a 9-year-old girl was raped in her own home in Ramanthapur on Thursday.
The Uppal police, which has registered the case, said that the accused was a labourer and the incident took place on Thursday morning, when the girl's parents, both daily wage labourers, had gone out to work. The victim's family had migrated from Khammam four months ago.
"When their 9-year-old daughter who is studying in Class 4, was outside the residence, their neighbour Laxman forcibly took her to an under-construction site and raped her," the investigating officer from the Uppal police station was quoted saying.
The incident left the girl with severe bleeding and trauma. The parents learnt of the crime when they returned and saw blood stains on the girl's clothes. She is presently undergoing treatment at the state-run Gandhi Hospital in the city.
A case has been registered under Section 376 (Rape) of the IPC and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and special teams have been formed to nab the accused.
Just days ago, the rape and murder of a 9-month-old girl in Hanamkonda had sent shockwaves across the town, and triggered massive protests by people who demanded that the guilty be hanged publicly.
Police said the accused abducted the child sleeping with her parents on the terrace of her house in Kumarpalli area of the town. When the couple did not find the child on the bed, they raised an alarm.
Some people in a nearby lane found a youth trying to escape. They chased, caught hold of the accused, identified as 28-year-old Praveen, and handed him over to police.
Following this, men, women including youth and students came together to stage protests. They formed a human chain and refused to call off the protest till the guilty was hanged publicly. Tension prevailed as police rushed there to forcibly end the protest. Some protestors were taken in custody.
Panchayat Raj Minister E Dayakar Rao, who belongs to the same district, said that the incident had shocked the entire society. He directed the police to take immediate stringent action against the accused.