India rape: Arrests over rapes of children in Delhi

Image source, EPA

Image caption, Protesters confronted police outside the two-and-a-half year old's house

Two 17-year-old boys have been arrested in connection with the rape of a two-and-a-half year old girl in west Delhi, Indian police said.

The pair were detained after police questioned residents of the neighbourhood where the girl was raped.

Separately three men have been arrested over the gang rape of a five-year-old in the east of the Indian capital.

The incidents sparked fresh outrage over India's perceived inability to combat sexual violence.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has accused the federal government, which controls policing, of not doing enough to protect children.

The two-and-a-half year old was abducted on Friday and later found dumped in a park, bleeding profusely.

Image source, EPA

Image caption, Residents and activists accuse the police of not doing enough to protect women and children

Both of the accused are known to the girl's family, police said.

She and the five-year-old, who police said was lured to a neighbour's house before being raped, are undergoing medical treatment but are believed to be out of danger.

The incidents come a week after a four-year-old was found near a railway track after being raped and slashed with a sharp object.

The gang rape and murder of a student in 2012 in Delhi led to protests and new anti-rape laws in the country.

However, brutal sexual attacks against women and children continue to be reported across the country. Delhi alone had more than 2,000 rapes reported in 2014.