Three youths have been arrested on charges of sexually assaulting a Class 7 student in Dum Dum, on the northern outskirts of Kolkata, police said on Sunday.
According to a senior police officer, the incident took place on Saturday evening when the girl was returning home from tuition classes.
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Citing the survivor’s complaint, the officer said that the girl knew one of the three accused, and he allegedly lured her to a nearby park and after a while two men joined them. After reaching the park, the three accused then allegedly took the girl to a makeshift shanty some distance away by force in an e-rickshaw, where she was sexually assaulted. The victim told the police that she was tortured and gangraped.
She further said that the three accused later allowed her to leave but reportedly threatened her not to disclose anything about the incident to anyone.
The girl was sent for a medical examination as part of the investigation procedure. The medical report is expected to show the exact nature of the assault and confirm the exact number of people involved in the crime, the senior police officer added.
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Community demands justice
All the three accused were arrested on Saturday night, and a case has been registered under relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
The heinousness of the crime sparked an immediate reaction among the BJP activists, and they staged a protest outside Dum Dum police station on Sunday, demanding strict action against the perpetrators.
