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India child rape: Huge protests in Madhya Pradesh

Reuters A child attends a protest against the rape of an eight-year-old girl, in Kathua, near Jammu and a teenager in Unnao, Uttar Pradesh state, in New Delhi, India April 15, 2018.Reuters
One woman is raped every 13 minutes in India according to the country's crime statistics

Two men have been arrested over the brutal rape of a seven-year-old girl in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh amid massive public anger.

Hundreds of people have been out on the roads demanding justice for the victim, who is still in hospital with grievous injuries including stab wounds.

The child was abducted outside her school on Tuesday, police said.

People, including the chief minister of the state have demanded the death penalty for the rapists.

BBC/shuriah niazi protests in Madhya PradeshBBC/shuriah niazi
Hundreds of people have been protesting against the rape

Shivraj Singh Chouhan told reporters that the "beasts" committing such heinous crimes were a "burden on the earth" and did not "deserve to live".

The state's lawyers union has also refused to represent the accused men in court.

Doctors said the victim, who was found bleeding and unconscious on Wednesday morning, was out of danger but warned her injuries would take time to heal.

Police said they were able to make the arrests after watching CCTV footage from near the school, which clearly showed one of the accused walking away with the girl after offering her sweets.