West Bengal Police Detain Minors for Harassment of Schoolgirl
Incident Overview
Representational Image
Kolkata, August 6: Authorities in Baruipur, West Bengal, have taken two minors into custody for allegedly harassing and attempting to molest a seventh-grade girl while she was walking home in the South 24 Parganas district, as confirmed by a senior police official.
The troubling incident occurred on Wednesday afternoon when the girl was accompanied by her younger brother. The two suspects reportedly followed her, blocking her path and engaging in inappropriate behavior by demanding her name and phone number.
The situation escalated when one of the minors grabbed her hand and tried to forcibly abduct her, prompting the girl to scream for help.
Upon hearing her cries, nearby residents rushed to assist, managing to apprehend one of the suspects. Following this, the victim's family filed a formal complaint at the local police station, leading to the swift capture of the second suspect later that evening.
"Both minors have been officially detained and will be presented before the Juvenile Justice Board today for potential transfer to a juvenile facility," stated a senior police officer, adding that the victim underwent medical examinations at a nearby government hospital.
The girl's mother expressed deep concern over the apparent failure of public safety measures, calling for stringent legal repercussions against the offenders.
"They were pushing her in the middle of the street. My daughter was terrified and tried to escape, but they blocked her and demanded her phone number. Where is the safety for young girls if such acts occur openly? We seek the harshest punishment for the perpetrators under the law," she stated.
This incident underscores a troubling trend of violence against women in the Baruipur region.
On July 14, police arrested an individual for attempting to rape a minor girl who had been lured from her home in Barrackpore to a rented location in Baruipur after meeting the suspect at Sealdah railway station.
Earlier, on July 5, the discovery of a minor girl's body in a local pond after an alleged gang-rape and murder sparked significant public outrage, leading to a mob lynching that mistakenly claimed the life of an innocent man, Indrajit Mandal.
In the aftermath, police apprehended four main suspects, one of whom, Pravas Mondal, was killed in a police encounter while attempting to flee custody with a stolen firearm.