Ujjain: Woman raped in broad daylight, passersby film video and post it online; Congress reacts

In a shocking incident in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh's Ujjain, a woman scrap collector was raped by a man who forced her to consume alcohol in Agar Naka area. The crime came to light when a disturbing video of the assault went viral on social media. Police have identified three to four suspects who filmed and shared the video and are actively tracking them.

City Superintendent of Police (CSP) Om Prakash Mishra revealed that the accused Lokesh had promised the victim that he would marry her. On Wednesday, he forced her to drink alcohol before raping her. Passersby did not intervene but filmed the attack.

Lokesh fled but was arrested after the woman filed a complaint when she regained consciousness. The victim is fine and recovering at home. Police are intensifying their efforts to trace all those involved in the incident.

In a similar incident, a woman in Siddharthnagar was sexually assaulted by the driver and helper of a private ambulance she had hired to transport her terminally ill husband. The assault took place on August 29 when, after the woman resisted, the ambulance driver and helper stopped the vehicle in Basti district and forcibly took her, her brother and her husband out. The woman reported the incident to the local police, who arranged for another ambulance to take her husband to Gorakhpur Medical College, where he was declared dead on arrival.

Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi condemned the incidents, calling them a “stain on humanity”. He criticised the “propaganda-centric” governments for promoting a callous system and stressed the need for social and administrative reforms for women's safety.

“The brutality against women in Ujjain and Siddharthnagar is a stain on humanity. The ever-increasing number of crimes against women and the attitude of the police towards the victims and their families are a proof of the cruelty of the system and a cause of grave concern for the country,” Gandhi said in a Hindi post on X.

“Propaganda-centered governments have created a callous system to create a false image of themselves, of which women are the biggest victims,” ​​he said.

Expressing her shock over the incident in Ujjain, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said, “The entire nation is stunned by the brazen attack and the indifference of the onlookers. Humanity has been badly damaged.”

“Better citizens lead to better systems, and better systems create a better society,” he added.

Indian Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said the incident of rape of a woman in broad daylight on a sidewalk in Ujjain in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh was extremely horrific.

“Today, the entire country is stunned at where our society is heading. Reports say that passersby took videos instead of rescuing the woman. Humanity has been tainted by such an incident in the holy land of Ujjain,” she added.