MP: Tribal woman gangraped, tortured to death, Congress slams BJP 'jungle raj'

In a chilling incident reminiscent of the 2012 Nirbhaya case in Delhi, a 45-year-old tribal woman was brutally gangraped and tortured to death in Madhya Pradesh’s Khandwa district, the police said on Sunday.

Madhya Pradesh Police have arrested two men in connection with the crime. According to Khandwa additional superintendent of police Rajesh Raghuvanshi, preliminary investigations suggest the woman was severely assaulted, leading to excessive bleeding and death. He added that the accused were intoxicated at the time of the assault.

The deceased, who belonged to the Kurku tribal community, is survived by two children. The accused also hail from the same tribal group, officials confirmed.

The incident has triggered a political outcry in the BJP-ruled state, with the Congress party accusing the state government of failing to ensure the safety of tribal women.

Congress leader Vikrant Bhuria, who is also national chairman, Adivasi Congress, said, "The gangrape of a tribal woman and the subsequent removal of her uterus is not just a crime but the height of brutality. Tribal women are most unsafe under BJP rule. There is neither fear of law nor any empathy from the government. If this is not jungle raj, then what is?"

ख़रगोन में आदिवासी महिला के साथ गैंगरेप के बाद बच्चेदानी निकाल देना—ये सिर्फ़ अपराध नहीं, बल्कि दरिंदगी की हद है।

भाजपा राज में आदिवासी महिलाएं सबसे असुरक्षित हैं। न कानून का डर, न सरकार की संवेदना।

ये जंगलराज नहीं तो क्या है?#AdivasiNyay #MadhyaPradesh #KhandwaHorror pic.twitter.com/ROc04Zy4Wk

— Dr.Vikrant Bhuria (@VikrantBhuria) May 25, 2025

State Congress president Jitu Patwari also condemned the incident in a post on X, saying: “This level of barbaric atrocity surpasses even the ‘jungle raj’ of the primitive era. Such audacious crimes occur only when the fear of law has completely disappeared. The government's silence on such extreme violence against women is shameful.”

The MP Congress has formed a three-member investigation team which will prepare a detailed report and submit it to the state Congress leadership. “Every possible step will be taken to ensure that the culprits get the harshest punishment,” said Patwari.

खंडवा जिले के खालवा क्षेत्र में आदिवासी महिला के साथ हुई दर्दनाक दुष्कर्म और हत्या की अमानवीय घटना ने समूचे प्रदेश को झकझोर कर रख दिया है। प्रदेश कांग्रेस इस जघन्य अपराध की कड़ी निंदा करती है और पीड़ित परिवार को न्याय दिलाने के लिए पूरी तरह प्रतिबद्ध है।

उक्त घटना के संदर्भ में… pic.twitter.com/dRdK4i1623

— MP Congress (@INCMP) May 25, 2025

The incident has once again raised serious questions about law and order in Madhya Pradesh, especially with regard to the safety of women from underprivileged communities.