A teenager is battling for life after a man allegedly attacked her with an axe, tied a noose around her neck and attempted to hang her from the rooftop of her house before throwing her to the ground in Madhya Pradesh Friday, triggering widespread outrage in the village.
The incident occurred around 8 am when the girl was alone at home while her family members had gone to work in the fields. Police identified the accused as a 22-year-old man who lived near the victim’s home.
According to the police, the accused entered the victim’s house and attacked her with an axe, causing serious injuries. In an attempt to escape, the girl ran to the terrace, but the accused allegedly chased her and continued the assault.
The victim’s family alleged that the accused then put a rope around the girl’s neck, attempted to hang her from the terrace and subsequently threw her to the ground below. A video of the incident that surfaced later purportedly shows the injured girl hanging from the edge of the rooftop before falling to the ground.
Hearing her screams, villagers rushed to the spot and found the teenager critically injured and bleeding. She was initially taken to Shivpuri Medical College and later referred to Gwalior for advanced treatment.
Police said the accused had allegedly been pursuing the minor for some time. Villagers told investigators that a dispute had erupted between the two families about two weeks ago after the accused allegedly stopped the girl on a village road. A village panchayat was subsequently convened and a compromise was reportedly reached.
The attack sparked anger across the village, with relatives of the victim and local residents blocking the main road and demanding stringent action against the accused. The protest continued for several hours before senior police and administrative officials intervened and assured villagers that strict legal action would be taken.
Confirming the arrest, Additional Superintendent of Police Sanjeev Mule said the accused had been taken into custody and the matter was being investigated in detail.
“We have arrested four people in this case. They are family members of the main accused. The two families had feuded with each other over the fact that the main accused wanted to be in a relationship with the minor girl and her family objected to this. The family members are accused of assaulting the family members of the minor girl,” Mule told The Indian Express.
