Molestation of 10-year-old girl in MP’s Shivpuri caught on CCTV, two arrested

A video of a 10-year-old girl being allegedly molested by a man at an upscale apartment complex in Shivpuri district in northern Madhya Pradesh has surfaced, showing that the state continues to be unsafe for children. 

The accused and another person, who was looking on and then walked off without protesting, have been arrested on Tuesday, police said. 

The footage shows the accused approaching the girl who came riding a bicycle. As the man speaks, he reaches out to touch her. The girl, clearly uncomfortable, steps back, but the man advances hand outstretched. When the girl has her back against the wall, with no place to move, he grabs her. 

The other man who is merely watching all this without any reaction soon walks off. Police said the arrested men were workers employed to whitewash the building where the incident took place. 

Inspector Sanjay Mishra said the girl’s parents came with the CCTV footage, on the basis of which they made sketches of the accused and managed to arrest them. Both were staying in Lalmati area of Fatehpur.  

Madhya Pradesh has been found to be one of the most unsafe places for children. The National Crime Records Bureau data showed that the state recorded the second highest number of cases (13.7% of the total 94,172 cases in the country) under Protection of Child from Sexual Offences Act. Specifically, the state recorded the third highest number of cases (471 out of total 3,350) cases of Sexual Harrassment of children.