Police have arrested a second man in connection with the rape and torture of a 5-year-old girl in New Delhi, one in a recent series of gruesome rape attacks on young children in India that have sparked massive public outrage. As protests against the incidents continued to rage across the country over the weekend, yet another child, a 9-year-old girl, was gang-raped and her throat slit in the eastern state of Assam.

Police confirmed they arrested Pradeep Monday for involvement in the April 15 abduction and rape of the 5-year-old in Lakhisarai district of Bihar state in India. The authorities found him hiding in his maternal uncle’s residence.

"He will be brought to the national capital today after getting a transit remand from Darbhanga court," Delhi Police Commissioner Neeraj Kumar told PTI.

The prime suspect in the case, 22-year-old Manoj Kumar, was arrested Saturday from Muzaffarpur district of the same state, and said during interrogation that he'd had an accomplice. Kumar reportedly blamed Pradeep for the brutal attack on the girl and told police he did not sexually attack the girl.

The 5-year-old victim was severely injured in the attack is undergoing treatment at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Delhi. Doctors said on Monday that her condition is improving. The accused allegedly kidnapped the child when she was playing outside the residential complex where both she and Kumar live. She was held captive for two days without food and water in his ground-floor flat.

She was rescued when family members heard her screams on Wednesday evening.

Following news of the kidnapping and brutal rape of the 5-year-old girl, the nation was shocked anew last Friday when medical reports pointed to extensive and barbaric torture. The girl will have to undergo reconstructive surgery as she suffered severe injuries to her private organs.

Even as the country was trying to come to terms with the incident, more reports of violence against young girls emerged from two other states on Saturday and Sunday.

On Saturday, a 4-year-old girl was raped in Ghansur town in Sioni district of Madhya Pradesh state in India. According to the media reports, the victim is critically injured and has sustained brain injuries from attempted strangulation.

The girl was lured with a chocolate and kidnapped from outside her home in a village near Sioni on Wednesday. She was later found lying unconscious near a crematorium the next morning. Police have arrested the man who kidnapped her, but the alleged rapist is still on the run, according to television news channel NDTV.

In another horrific incident reported on Monday, a 9-year-old girl who went to visit her grandfather was waylaid and abducted by two men in Cachar district in the state of Assam, Sunday. The victim was gang-raped by two men and her throat was slit in an attempt to kill her, leading television channel Times Now reported.

Villagers found the girl lying unconscious in a tea garden and bleeding profusely from a gash on her throat. She was rushed to the local hospital, where she was being treated. Her condition is critical, reports stated.

The recent incidents of rape of minors, most of which an attempt to murder the victim after rape. The incidents have further intensified protests across the nation. Protesters attempted to push through the barricades and gates near the Indian parliament as the house was in session Monday, demanding the resignation of the Delhi Police Commissioner and justice for the young victims.

Traffic was disrupted in the Indian capital in areas surrounding the Indian Parliament and the India Gate, while three metro stations close to parliament, India Gate and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's residence were closed to the public in the wake of escalating anti-rape protests, the Press Trust of India (PTI) reported.

Protests were also held in front of the Delhi police headquarters and tourist spots including the Jantar Manta and the India Gate.

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