A 21-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly raping a 14-year-old girl in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad on Wednesday. The accused, identified as Faizan, allegedly barged into the girl's house during a power outage, dragged her by the hair, and forced her to inhale a sedative-laced handkerchief.
The incident occurred in the evening when the girl's parents were away. A complaint submitted by the girl's father claimed the accused also beat up the girl's brother, who was at home and tried to stop the assault.
“My children were sleeping when the accused barged into the house. He dragged my daughter out of the room by the hair, and repeatedly kicked and slapped her. When my son tried to intervene, he beat him up too. He made my daughter sniff some sedative by gagging her with a handkerchief," the girl's father, who drives an e-rickshaw, told The Times of India.
The incident sparked protests by locals and right-wing outfits, which went on for two days. Around 250 people have been booked for perpetrating acts of vandalism and arson, including burning an e-rickshaw and vandalising shops.
DCP Trans Hindan Nimish Patil confirmed the arrest and said that police have booked miscreants under sections 191 (2) (rioting), 191 (3) (rioting with deadly weapon), and 121 (voluntarily hurting government official) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
According to PTI report, medical examination confirmed that the girl was raped by one man. However, some malcontents, with a view to incite communal tensions, spread a rumour that she was gang-raped, police said.
Protests continued on Thursday, with locals gathering outside the Link Road police station, expressing outrage and calling for the death penalty for the perpetrators. Heavy police force has been deployed in the area to maintain calm.
