Bollywood celebrities including Amitabh Bachchan and Shabana Azmi have expressed shock and anger over the brutal rape of a five-year-old girl in the national capital. Calling the incident "atrocious and ghastly", Bachchan, 70, said he was left numb by the crime against the child, who is currently being treated at AIIMS in Delhi. "The horror of the latest crime of rape and then attempt to kill a 5-year-old little girl, leaves me numb and without voice! These evil beings are not fit to be called animals... Even animals have certain codes of conduct!," Bachchan wrote on his blog.

Bachchan said that such criminals should be handed over to the general public. "Jails are not the solution... Keeping them bound and confined shall not change them or their thinking... They need to be made examples of. "They need to be shamed first publicly and then left to the public to deal them justice in which ever way they seem fit!!... We all are living in insecure times, where the fear of authority and the call of discipline and awareness is non existent," he said.

Protests erupted in the capital today demanding justice for the child and punishment for policemen who showed their insensitivity in dealing with the case. The capital is still recovering from the shocking gangrape incident of December 16 that resulted in nationwide protests. Shilpa Shetty: "Disgusted with the Delhi cop who slapped that girl who protested! What is our country coming to.

When will this apathy end! Time to wake up. Strict punitive action must be taken against these offenders at the earliest. Heartbreaking!" Reacting to the incident, director Karan Johar said, "Shocked and disgusted beyonds words to hear about the rape of a 5 year old!!!! Are we officially a barbaric nation?? is morality extinct?" "Anger and outrage against Delhi police is justified but we need to delve deeper 2 understand why we r becoming such a misogynist sick society," tweeted Shabana Azmi.