The father of the man accused of raping a 12-year-old girl in Ujjain has called for his son to receive the death penalty. The local bar association has also urged lawyers not to defend the accused in court. The incident has drawn criticism from the opposition Congress, who have questioned the silence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The accused, Bharat Soni, was arrested three days after the victim was found injured on the streets. Medical examinations confirmed that she had been raped. The girl is currently receiving treatment at a hospital in Indore, where she underwent major surgery. The Congress party has criticized the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh over the incident, claiming that law and order in the state has deteriorated under Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. They also called out the silence of Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani, the National Commission for Women (NCW), and the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR). Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala, who visited the victim in the hospital, stated that the attack on the girl was more brutal than the infamous Nirbhaya case.
