Eight month old baby raped in Indian capital Delhi

An eight month old baby girl has been raped in India’s capital, New Delhi, allegedly by her 28-year-old cousin while her parents were out working. The rape has provoked angry reactions from activists who are pressing for long-pending police accountability to aid in the fight against sexual violence in the country.

The mother found her child bleeding upon returning from work in the evening. The doctors at the hospital confirmed the rape and said the baby had to undergo surgery.

“I had left for work leaving my children at home. My wife works too. So she too left for work soon after. When she came back, she saw blood-soaked bed and clothes of the child. When she told this to her sister-in-law she made excuses. My child is in critical condition now,” the father, a labourer in the city, told Indian news agency ANI.

The accused has been arrested, police in Delhi said.

“We arrested the accused yesterday [Monday]. He is the 28-year-old cousin of the victim,” said Parvati, Additional Sub-Inspector at Subhash Nagar Police Station.

“We have booked him under 376 Indian Penal Code and section 6 of the Protection of Children Against s3xual Offences. The investigation is still underway,” Parvati told Al Jazeera.

“I can still hear her screams and cries. … I feel horrified at this abuse of a child, I feel as if I have been raped