New Delhi: On 9 July, a two-and-a-half-year-old minor was allegedly sexually assaulted by an intoxicated man/teenager while she was playing in Haryana’s Hansi. The accused took her to a nearby street where he disrobed her.
Cries of the frightened minor drew the attention of her grandmother, who rushed out and saw the accused allegedly trying to rape the minor. As the grandmother screamed, the accused ran from the spot. A fortnight since then, no arrest has been made.
The First Information Report, a copy of which is with ThePrint was lodged on 10 July under Section 10 (aggravated sexual assault) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) Act and Sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita — 140 (3) (kidnapping), 74 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage modesty) and 76 (assaults or uses criminal force to any woman or abets such act with the intention of disrobing or compelling her to be naked).
“The police have been misleading us. They tell us that they can’t find the man. How is that possible? They can question their family and relatives. Instead they are busy telling us different stories. The accused’s relatives are in the police department so they are saving him,” the minor’s mother told ThePrint.
Both parties are from the same village. According to the FIR, the accused had picked up the minor around 7 pm that evening.
A senior police officer told ThePrint that the accused had fled in the evening right after the incident. “He is absconding. As per the allegations, the accused tried to sexually assault the child,” the police officer said.
On Monday, the case was transferred from the Narnaund police station to the Mahila thana in Hansi. “We just received the case files the day before yesterday (22 July). No arrests have been made so far,” another senior police officer said.
‘Threats’ from accused & local police
Meanwhile, the minor’s father has written more than once to the Superintendent of Police, Hansi, Maqsood Ahmed about the threat he and his family members were facing from the accused.
“The accused and his relatives have been threatening us with dire consequences warning us to take back the complaint. We suspect that the officials at Narnaund police station are aiding the accused and trying to frame us in a fake case. We request you to take action in the matter and arrest the accused at the earliest and provide us security against the accused,” the letter reads.
ThePrint has a copy of the letter.
In another letter to the SP, the family of the minor requested action against three police officials as well as two others, including a woman relative of the accused.
According to the minor’s mother, one of the three police officials is the accused’s elder brother, while two others are his cousins.
“The police officials have threatened us that they will file fake cases against us. They are telling the local villagers that if we don’t take the case back, they will kill us and put societal pressure on us to withdraw the complaint,” the letter reads.
ThePrint reached Hansi SP through calls and messages for a response on the matter. This report will be updated once a response is received.
“They have taken our statements but there has been no action. The accused’s relatives and other aides have been constantly troubling us. We are scared they will again harm our daughter,” the minor’s mother told ThePrint.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
Also Read: Woman accuses top Jindal executive of showing her porn, groping her on international flight