M.P. turning into ‘rape capital’: Congress asks PM Modi to get State a ‘full time’ Home Minister before May 31 visit

Congress criticizes BJP over rising rape cases in Madhya Pradesh, calling it India's "rape capital" and demanding better governance.

A day after a 45-year-old tribal woman died after she was allegedly brutally gang raped in Madhya Pradesh’s Khandwa, the Congress on Monday (May 26, 2025) launched a scathing attack at the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), alleging that the State was turning into India’s “rape capital”.

Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, Vikrant Bhuria, Adivasi Congress president, termed the incident as “Adivasi Nirbhaya case”, linking it with the infamous Nirbhaya case in 2012 in the national capital. 

Mr. Bhuria, an MLA from M.P.’s Jhabua, also targeted M.P. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, who also holds the Home portfolio, saying that the law and order in the State has gone “completely out of control”.

“Ever since, the Chief Minister has been handling the Home Department, the State has seen an 18% in rape cases. This figure was given in response to a question in the State Assembly,” Mr. Bhuria said, claiming that 26 percent victims of the total reported rape cases are from the tribal community. 

According to the police, the incident took place on May 23 night in Khandwa’s Eitwa village under Roshni police outpost area after the victim attended a wedding in her neighbourhood and that two men, both neighbours of the victim, have been arrested in the matter. 

Superintendent of Police, Khandwa, Manoj Kumar Rai told The Hindu that after the wedding, the victim and the accused were returning together and one of the accused, Hari Palvi, took them to his house where the two raped her brutally. The other accused has been identified as Sunil Korku.

Mr. Rai said that the accused were so brutal in the act that parts of the woman’s small intestine had come out of her body and she was bleeding excessively. He, however, said that it was not yet confirmed what they had inserted in her private parts.