Two weeks ago, a 22-year-old man from Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur was sentenced to 20 years in jail by a local court for allegedly kidnapping and raping a minor girl — who belongs to a different community — from his neighbourhood.
The case has now taken an unexpected turn.
The girl, who claims she recently turned 18, has alleged in a video while speaking to reporters that her father had forced her to give a false statement against the accused in court. She went on to accuse her parents of allegedly misleading her, and falsely implicating the man. She also said she wanted to live with the man’s family.
On Thursday, police convened a meeting which was attended by the girl, her family, and the convict’s family.
“The girl’s family refused to keep her, saying she was creating disturbances at home. The convict’s parents also declined to take her in, stating that their son was imprisoned because of her. The girl, meanwhile, has refused to return to her parents’ house,” a senior police officer at Saharanpur said.
When no solution could be reached, the officer added, it was decided to send the girl to a women’s shelter home in Meerut. “The girl agreed to go to the protection home, and she was accordingly sent there,” the officer said.
According to police, before the meeting took place, the girl went to the accused’s home and insisted that she would stay with them.
In the purported video, the girl could be heard telling the media that she arrived at the accused’s house with her brother and maternal uncle. She also claimed that her parents and relatives believed she was under the influence of black magic, which she denied.
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On learning that she was staying at the accused’s house, other relatives, along with members of a right-wing organisation, gathered outside and sat on a dharna until the police arrived.
But police said her family refused to return home with the girl. Moreover, the youth’s family also showed unwillingness to let her stay.
“There was no direct police matter in this situation. We reached the location only to ensure that law and order is maintained,” a police officer said.
The case dates back to 2022, when the girl went “missing”. Her parents lodged an FIR, accusing their neighbour of kidnapping her. Following the complaint, police launched an investigation, during which the girl was traced and the accused was arrested.
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The man was later granted bail two years later. Subsequently, police added charges of rape and invoked provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act against him.
During the trial, the girl also recorded her statement before the court.
Speaking to The Indian Express, the girl’s father alleged his daughter has been “brainwashed”. “After the court sentenced the youth, my daughter’s behaviour began to change. She started losing her temper over small issues and became distant with the family,” the father claimed.
“… I feel as though I’ve lost everything… even my daughter, because she is no longer with me,” he said, adding that he had gone to Meerut on Saturday to meet her.
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He also claimed that during the trial, he was pressured several times to reach a compromise but he refused as he didn’t “want any other girl to go through a similar ordeal”.
The man’s family could not be reached for a comment.
