Punjab: Two arrested for raping six-year-old girl and setting her on fire, state SC commission takes note

In a spine-chilling incident, a 6-year-old girl was raped and burnt alive by two assailants in the Jalalpur village of Hoshiarpur district in Punjab. The half-charred remains of the girl’s body were recovered from a house in the village.

The accused, a man and his grandfather, have been arrested for the rape of a 6-year-old and murder by setting her ablaze. The accused—Gurpreet Singh and his grandfather Surjit Singh—were arrested on the charges of murder, rape and other relevant sections of the IPC and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

According to the father of the victim girl, Gurpreet allegedly took the girl from his home where he allegedly raped her. After raping the girl, both Gurpreet and Surjit reportedly killed her and set her body on fire.

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh took to Twitter to express his shock and sadness over the incident.

https://twitter.com/capt_amarinder/status/1319490523413921792?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Singh added that though the culprits have been arrested, he had directed DGP to ensure proper investigation is carried out and challan is speedily presented. He called upon the courts to have a fast trial and award the guilty with an exemplary punishment.

Punjab state Scheduled Caste Commission takes suo moto cognisance of the incident

The Scheduled Caste Commission of Punjab State yesterday took suo moto cognisance of the incident. The chairperson of the Commission, Tejinder Kaur, described the incident as “shocking” which came to her notice after being reported by several media organisations. The commission has asked for a detailed report on the case from Senior Superintendent of Police(SSP) Hoshiarpur by October 26, 2020, and asked the law enforcement officials to take stern and prompt action against the culprits.

The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has also taken cognisance of the same.

https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1319540781628076033?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw In a letter to Senior Superintendent of Police, Hoshiarpur, the NCPCR has requested to conduct an inquiry and send a detailed report within 3 days of receipt of letter.

Besides, the Chairperson also directed commission member Prabhdiyal to visit the family to assess the ground situation and file a detailed report in this regard.