Seven booked for sexually assaulting minor

Pilibhit (UP), Oct 9 Seven persons have been booked for allegedly barging into a house and sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl. The accused also threatened the victime with dire consequences.

Station House Officer (SHO) Madan Mohan Chaturvedi said the accused have been booked under various IPC sections and the POCSO Act.

However, they are yet to be arrested.

According to the victim's mother, the incident took place on August 22, but police registered a case on Friday evening on the order of the special judge (POCSO Act).

The mother alleged that, initially, police refused to register an FIR in the matter, even though a complaint was lodged in the police station concerned and the superintendent of police (SP) was informed.

In her complaint to court, the mother alleged that five sons (aged between 18 and 24) of one influential person of the village used to constantly pass derogatory remarks on her minor daughter when she went to school.

She said that on August 22, when the girl was going to school, the youths dragged her on the road, gagged and molested her. Hearing her screams, locals rushed to the spot and rescued her.

Later in the day, the five youths, along with two others, barged into the house, grabbed her and tore her clothes and then attempted to sexually assault her, the mother alleged.

When the girl resisted, the accused beat her up. Her parents were also thrashed when they tried to rescue their daughter from their clutches. One of the accused also hit on the head of the girl's father with a blunt object, injuring him seriously.

After the incident, the mother approached the Sungarhi police station to register an FIR and sent a written complaint to SP Dinesh Kumar Prabhu but to no avail.

Finally, she went to court.

The SP said, "Why would I decline police action on such a big incident. No one from the victim's side approached me in person or over the phone regarding the incident."