UP: 8-year-old girl raped by relative in Sitapur

An 8-year-old girl was allegedly raped by a relative in Uttar Pradesh's Sitapur district Kamlapur town on Sunday. The victim has been admitted to hospital in critical condition.

This incident comes days after another incident where a nine-year-old girl attending a wedding ceremony was raped and murdered by a man.

On April 16, a eight-year-old girl attending a wedding ceremony was allegedly raped and strangulated to death by a man hired to set up tents on the occasion. The incident took place near Mandi Samiti gate on the Aliganj road here where the girl had gone with her family to attend a wedding.

The Union Cabinet on April 21 approved an ordinance to award death sentence to rapists of children below 12 years of age. In a number of measures to strengthen the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, the Cabinet approved the promulgation of the Criminal Law (Amendment) Ordinance, 2018, for effective deterrence against commission of rape, thereby instilling a sense of security among women and especially young girls in the country.