Five youths held for harassing girl, paraded through market

A day after Cabinet Minister Anil Vij directed authorities to take action against the youths accused of harassing a girl and assaulting her parents, the police today arrested five individuals.

The accused were identified as Mukul, his brother Love, Rahul, Sandeep and Shubham, all residents of Ambala Cantonment. Mukul faces an attempt to murder charge, while Rahul has cases under the Gambling Act and the Gangster Act against him.

The accused were also made to kneel and apologise for their act. To recreate the scene, the police took four accused, except Rahul, to the spot near the Gwal Mandi area, where they had attacked the girl’s parents. Though the four accused had their heads tonsured, the police claimed that they did so voluntarily before they were arrested.

Minister Anil Vij was hearing public grievances at his residence on Thursday, when the girl and her parents reached there and sought a strict action against the accused.

The parents, residents of Housing Board Colony, Ambala Cantonment, reported that their daughter was returning from coaching classes on Wednesday evening when two youths started following her and abused her verbally. She called her parents for help. The girl’s father stated that he called Dial 112 and waited for the police. However, before the police arrived, the accused, along with their accomplices, assaulted the family and left them injured. When they reached the Civil Hospital at night for treatment, 15 youths gathered there and threatened them.

Expressing displeasure over the incident, Vij directed Ambala Cantonment SHO to take strict action against all accused involved in the case.

Issuing instructions to the SHO, he said, “I will not allow this to happen in my city. If girls can’t move freely, it is shameful for both you and me.”

The girl’s father said they were attacked with bricks when they confronted the accused.

Ambala Cantonment SHO Surender Singh said, “A complaint was received from a girl that a youth, Mukul, was following and harassing her for the past some days. The accused had also threatened to throw acid on her. A was registered under the relevant sections and five accused were arrested.”

“Mukul is the prime accused in the case. Other accused will also be arrested soon. Entire scene was recreated at the spot today,” he added.

The SHO said, “Rahul was not present when the other accused had attacked the parents of the girl. He joined them at the hospital. The accused had got their heads shaved before they were arrested. They were taken to the spot to recreate the scene. The complainants were was also called there.”