The Maharashtra Police have booked a Muslim minor boy for threatening a Hindu minor girl and forcing her into marriage. The accused is said to have harassed the girl and then threatened her using a knife in the Pathardi region of Ahmednagar district.
The accused person has been booked under sections 354 (criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 341 (Punishment for wrongful restraint), 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code, and also under sections 8, 12, and 17 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.
As per the FIR copy obtained by OpIndia, the incident is said to have happened on July 10, Monday at around 11 am when the victim girl was in her school. The accused person forcefully tried to stop the girl on her way home after she complained of severe stomach ache. The accused blocked her way and offered her ‘help’ saying that he would drop her home and hold the school bag for her.
He happened to show fake concern as she was suffering from severe stomach ache. The girl meanwhile showed resistance and said that she was fine and could go home by herself. He then threatened her and started following her.
Later a girl aged around 17-18 arrived at the spot and offered to help the victim girl. She said that she would carry the victim’s school bag and help her reach home. However, the girl took the victim to the accused’s home and fled away from the location. “At around 11:30 am he came there and forcefully held my hand. He threatened me and forced me to marry him. He said that he would harm my family if I don’t agree to fulfil his demands,” the girl said in the complaint.
The accused who is a resident of the Indiranagar area of the town threatened that he would pelt stones on the house of the girl. He kept her hostage for around 3 hours in his home after which the girl somehow managed to escape from the location.
OpIndia talked to the victim who confirmed the incident and said that she was threatened by the accused who is her classmate. She said he followed her from school and forced her to marry her. “I was in pain so I left the school early that day. He was standing along the walls of the school and began following me. Later a girl joined in and she deceptively took me to his home,” the girl said.
“He kept me there for around 3 hours. He said he wanted to marry me. He then threatened me with a knife and said that he would harm me and my family if his demands remained ignored. I somehow managed to escape from the spot. Now I am scared to even go to the school,” the minor added.
As per the FIR, the accused person is also a minor and is a classmate of the victim girl. The father of the victim girl revealed to OpIndia that the police had detained the accused but later released him as he is a minor. Pathardi Police Station’s Sachin Chavhan was called for a comment on the issue but no information could be obtained given the involvement of the minors.
Taking cognizance of the incident, local Hindu organizations gathered in the town held protests on July 12 to demand strict action against the accused. The Hindu organization members said that Hindu girls in the area were not safe. They also demanded that the parents of the accused minor be booked in the case.
At present, it is known that the accused person has been booked under the relevant sections of the IPC and the POCSO. Further investigations are underway.