Minor girl drugged, raped in park in Rajasthan's Sri Ganganagar; neighbour held

An eight-year-old girl was allegedly raped after being administered a sedative in Rajasthan's Sri Ganganagar district, with police arresting the accused neighbour, an official said on Friday.

A case has been registered in this connection at Padampur police station under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Describing the incident as horrifying, former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot said the crime has exposed how women's safety is being undermined in the state.

According to police, the girl had gone to a park near her home on Wednesday afternoon to play on the swings. Later, a relative informed the family that the child was lying unconscious in the park.

Family members rushed to the spot and took her to a local government hospital, police said.

Doctors administered primary treatment to the child, but given her critical condition, she was referred to a hospital in Sri Ganganagar where she is currently undergoing treatment, police said.

In a complaint to police, the victim's mother alleged that her daughter was administered an intoxicating substance and raped. She said the accused belonged to the same locality.

"The accused is a neighbour, and he has been arrested," Sri Ganganagar Superintendent of Police Hari Shankar said.

Former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot condemned the incident, describing it as horrifying.

In a statement, Gehlot said the girl, who had stepped out of her home to play on swings, was found unconscious in a park where she was allegedly drugged and assaulted.

He said the incident illustrated how unsafe daughters and children were in the state under BJP rule.

Gehlot alleged that the BJP government had completely failed on women and child safety over the past two-and-a-half years, and such incidents expose how the rule of law is being undermined in Rajasthan.