Two arrested for molesting minor girl in Champawat

Almora: Two people have been arrested and booked under the POSCO Act two days after they allegedly molested a minor girl at a marriage party in Pati block of Champawat district on the Monday evening.
The 15-year-old victim had gone to a cowshed in a neighbour’s house in the village when the accused— hailing from Jainti area of Almora district — entered the cowshed and locked it from inside, and allegedly molested her.
Though the victim raised alarms, it went unheard due to loudspeakers playing at the marriage party. The accused too had come to the marriage party on April 17.
However, after sometime when people gathered, the accused fled the scene.
The victim’s family went to the Pati police station to lodge a complaint but police, according to family, refused to register a complaint, asking them get a medical examination on the girl conducted first.
They then took the girl to the Lohaghat police station, where officers sent them to Lohaghat health centre, where doctors conducted an examined, and said the “girl had consumed poison”. Following which she was referred to the Champawat district hospital.
Later on April 19, two days after the incident, an FIR was finally lodged under the POSCO Act.
Champawat superintendent of police Ramachandra Rajguru said, “Since there was no facility to conduct a medical examination on the girl, she was sent to Lohaghat."
Rajguru confirmed that both the accused had been arrested.