On way to police station to lodge complaint, girl stripped half-naked, father beaten by harassers

A 17-year-old girl was stripped half-naked on Sunday afternoon and beaten brutally by two men when she was going to the Chauri Chaura police station in Gorakhpur

A 17-year-old girl was stripped half-naked on Sunday afternoon and beaten brutally by two men when she was going to the Chauri Chaura police station in Gorakhpur to lodge a complaint against them for harassing her, the police said on Monday

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Brothers Gautam and Mukesh , who threatened the girl not to lodge a complaint, also beat up her aged father and sister-in-law when they tried to save the girl. The two brothers were arrested after the incident, the police said.

Circle officer Rachna Mishra said, “Both the brothers have been sent to jail.”

They were booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the POCSO Act (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act), the circle officer added.

The sections included Section 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 462 (punishment for same offence when committed by person entrusted with custody), 354A (sexual harassment), 341(punishment for wrongful restraint), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means), 428 (mischief by killing or maiming animal of the value of ten rupees), 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation).

When she told her father about the incident, he immediately took her to a police station to lodge a complaint. Her sister-in-law accompanied them. On the way, the duo intercepted the trio and asked them not to file the complaint or face dire consequences.

As the girl and her father refused to be cowed down and headed toward the police station, the duo started beating all of them and stripped the girl half-naked, according to the FIR.

A local shopkeeper gave her a cloth to cover herself after the assault.

The father of the girl suffered grave injuries in the attack and was admitted to the district hospital.