Widespread anger erupted in Gujarat’s Rajkot district after a six-year-old girl was sexually assaulted in Atkot village on December 4. The incident triggered a massive police search, which ended with the arrest of a 35-year-old farm labourer from a nearby field.

The victim’s family, who are agricultural labourers from Dahod district, were working near the fields when the incident took place. According to Rajkot Rural Superintendent of Police (SP) Vijaysinh Gurjar, the child was playing near her working parents when she was allegedly abducted by an unidentified man.

About the incident

Police reports indicate that the attacker attempted to rape the minor. When the child screamed, the culprit became violent, inserting a metal rod into her private parts, causing severe internal injuries and heavy bleeding, before fleeing the scene.

Her parents were terrified and started looking for their daughter right away. They found her near the fields. They quickly took her to Jannah Hospital in Rajkot. The good news is the doctors say she is stable (her condition is steady and not getting worse), and she should be able to leave the hospital in the next two or three days.100 Suspects Questioned; Child IDs Attacker

SP Gurjar confirmed that the police launched an intensive and rapid investigation. Nearly 10 separate teams were formed to scour the area, and close to 100 suspects were questioned as part of the massive manhunt.

A major breakthrough came when the police, along with child experts, showed around ten people to the girl to help identify the attacker. Despite being traumatised, the young girl bravely pointed out Ramsingh Terasingh Dadwejar as the man who assaulted her. Dadwejar, a farmworker from Alirajpur district in Madhya Pradesh, is married and has three children. SP Gurjar said the police quickly arrested him from a field near the place where the crime happened.

The Superintendent of Police assured the community that the investigation has not found anyone else involved in the crime. “Only one person is responsible for this incident, and he has been arrested from a nearby field,” SP Gurjar said.

The police have filed serious charges against Dadwejar under the Indian Penal Code and the POCSO Act, which deals with crimes against children. Officials said they will keep checking on the child’s health and continue the legal process to make sure the accused is punished as strictly as the law allows.