Tonk in Rajasthan saw tension running high in the evening of Friday, 26th September, following an incident of harassment and thrats of 13-year-old minor girl.
The teenager, who studies in a local coaching centre, claimed that five muslims stopped her on her way back home, harassed her and threatened her to convert her religion and getting married to them. They also told her that if she denied, they would throw acid on her face or abduct her.
Girl fled back to the coaching centre for help from her tutor
Based on the complaint issued by the minor, the five muslims– names given as Amir Mewati, Saddam Mewati, Tahir Mewati, Rahil Mewati, and Hameed Mewati – had been stalking her for days. They used to chase her on bicycles and bikes, made lewd comments, and threatened her every other day.
The situation escalated on Friday evening. The girl said that she was once more intercepted on her way back home and instructed to consent to religious conversion to Islam and marriage. Scared, she returned to her coaching institute for help from her tutor. However, the accused muslim youths even followed her within the premises.
When the coaching director, hemraj interfered, the muslims pulled him out, hit him with sticks and fists, and caused chaos within the campus. Eyewitnesses added that the attackers battered anyone in their way and smashed property before they vanished.
FIR against 25 people
The minor later that night lodged a complaint against 25 individuals, including the five named accused. Two of them have been detained by the police while the efforts are in process to arrest the others.
DSP Rajesh Vidhyarthi confirmed the news, stating, “We have arrested two accused till now and are conducting raids to arrest the others. Teams have been deployed to make arrests at the earliest.”
The girl also disclosed that she had reported the harassment to Child Helpline 1098 during the day but things got out of hand before anything could be done.
Villagers stage protest on Highway
The event sparked outrage among the locals. On Saturday morning, 27th September, villagers gathered near Bara Tiraha on National Highway 52, five kilometers from the city, and protested. They sat in the middle of the road for almost an hour, calling for severe action against the accused and safety for the victim.
Tensions escalated further when individuals from the muslim community of the accused also protested on the other side of the highway and began shouting abuses. The police rushed to the location to restore order.
Mehandwas SHO Omprakash Choudhary calmed both sides and promised the villagers that tough action would be initiated. With this promise, the protesters moved away peacefully.
Ajit Singh Mehta, a former MLA, also joined the protest site and spoke to the villagers. He assured justice for the victim and called for immediate arrest. “No accused will be spared. We will make sure the girl gets justice,” Mehta asserted.
