More than a hundred people assembled at the Sanjaynagar police station late on Sunday night, demanding that the cops hand over a 25-year-old man arrested for sexually assaulting a five-year-old girl.
There were angry scenes and heated arguments as police tried to pacify the crowd in the North Bengaluru neighbourhood. Relatives of the girl were in the crowd. Some protesters barged into the police station and demanded that the cops hand over the suspect to them. "We will teach him a lesson,” they yelled.
Police were at pains to reassure the residents that the incident had been taken seriously. They explained to the family that the suspect has been booked under the stringent Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act and that he would be formally charged very soon.
A police source said that the suspect hailed from West Bengal and had arrived in Bengaluru in search of a job. He was reportedly living next door to the girl's family in the jurisdiction of the north police division. The girl has been admitted to hospital, and her family has lodged a formal police complaint, the source added. "The suspect is being questioned. Police are waiting for the child's medical report to determine the nature of the assault," the source added.
Hebbal MLA Byrathi Suresh visited the police station and spoke to the residents.
The residents complained that crimes were on the rise in the Sanjaynagar police limits and said the cops were keeping silent. They accused the police of being hand in glove with criminals and lamented that women were no longer comfortable walking alone on the streets.
Some residents blamed “outsiders” for the rising crime rate and suggested that the police did not take action in serious crimes despite complaints.
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Published 19 September 2021, 19:31 IST