Hoshiarpur: Migrant held for attempted sexual assault on 13-yr-old boy

The village sarpanch said the migrant lived in the rented accommodation with his parents and allegedly took the boy to a secluded place when his mother was at work

The Hoshiarpur police have arrested a migrant for an attempt to sexually assault a 13-year-old boy in a village here on Friday, officials said. The accused was nabbed by the villagers, beaten up and handed over to the police.

The incident comes a month after a five-year-old boy was sodomised and killed by a migrant in the city. (HT)

The incident comes a month after a five-year-old boy was sodomised and killed by a migrant in the city.

The village sarpanch said the migrant lived in the rented accommodation with his parents and allegedly took the boy to a secluded place when his mother was at work.

Neighbours, who heard the noises, raised the alarm, following which the accused was nabbed, the sarpanch said.

The September 9 incident, where a five-year-old boy was murdered, had triggered protests against the migrants from other states, with several panchayats and certain self-styled vigilantes in the city seeking their ouster from Punjab or making their verification mandatory.

The village sarpanch once again reiterated that thousands of migrant labourers lived in the area and worked in the nearby industries. “The panchayat had appealed to the administration to direct respective industrial units to either accommodate their workforce within their premises for easy verification of all migrants,” she added.

Hariana station house officer Amarjit Kaur revealed that the migrant was from Uttar Pradesh and had been staying with his family in the village for the last two years. “A case under Section 363 (kidnapping) of the Indian Penal Code and 137 (2) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita has been registered against the accused,” the SHO said.