Outrage in UP’s Muzaffarnagar over minor Dalit girl’s gang rape; two arrested, govt assures strict action

Muzaffarnagar, Aug 23 (IANS) Two people, including a doctor, have been arrested in Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar in connection with the alleged abduction and gang rape of a 17-year-old Dalit girl, officials said, after the case triggered an intensive police search operation across the district.

The City Kotwali police recovered the minor girl following a three-day search and subsequently arrested the two accused, identified as Nazim and Mohammad Adil. According to the police, the girl was allegedly abducted by Nazim, and Mohammad Adil is accused of assisting him in the crime.

After receiving information regarding the girl’s disappearance and the suspected offence, the police launched an extensive search operation to trace her whereabouts and identify those allegedly involved in the incident.

The investigation was intensified as teams searched multiple locations and examined CCTV footage from across the area. Investigators reportedly scrutinised footage from around 600 CCTV cameras to establish the movements of the accused and trace the missing girl.

Speaking to reporters, the victim’s mother described the incident as a serious atrocity against her daughter and demanded the strictest punishment for those responsible.

“This was a very serious atrocity against a Dalit girl. It is an extremely grave injustice against girls and our community and the entire society. We do not want anything except the death penalty. We want justice. We want bulldozers to be used against all the accused’s properties, including the house and the college,” she said.

Uttar Pradesh Minister Kapil Dev Agarwal said the victim had been missing for several days and that the police action was being pursued seriously.

Speaking to reporters, Agarwal said, “A young girl had been missing for four days; she is a minor belonging to the SC community. When she was recovered, according to the statement given by the child as conveyed to me by her family members, multiple individuals gang-raped her. Not once or twice, but repeatedly, three to four times.”

“Individuals from a specific community were found involved in this. Police shot one of them in the leg while he was trying to flee, and two have been arrested and sent to jail,” he added.

The Minister further said that the strictest possible action would be taken against those found responsible and that clear instructions had been issued to the district police leadership to ensure there was no compromise in the investigation.

“The strictest possible action will be taken, and instructions have been issued to the Police Captain (SSP) that there will be no compromise under any circumstances,” Agarwal said.

He further said that the names of a school and a hospital had emerged during the investigation and that action would be taken against them if their involvement or complicity was established.

“Furthermore, since the names of a school and a hospital have surfaced, if they are found complicit during the investigation, the strictest action will be taken against them as well. The perpetrator, anyone who commits such an act, clearly has a depraved, sickening mindset. And the government is dealing strictly with such elements,” the minister said.

Agarwal also said that provisions of the Gangsters Act and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act would be invoked in the case.

According to investigators, police teams worked extensively to trace the girl and establish the movements of the accused. CCTV footage from approximately 600 cameras was examined as part of the operation, helping investigators narrow down the locations and movements linked to the case.

After the recovery of minor on Friday, the police confronted accused Nazim later that night, during which he was injured in the leg. His accomplice, Doctor Mohammad Adil, was also arrested.

The police have registered a case against both accused under Sections 64(1) and 70(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with relevant provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

After being produced before a court, both accused were sent to judicial custody on Saturday, officials said.

–IANS

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