A CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force) constable was arrested on Wednesday in connection with the alleged molestation of tribal girls in Dantewada district of south Chhattisgarh last week.
The police also claimed to have identified another CRPF constable involved in the incident. The tribal girls were allegedly molested inside a residential school premises in Palnar village of Dantewada during a Rakshabandhan programme on July 31.
“We took the statements of all the 16 girls [who were molested] and showed them photographs of 254 CRPF men who participated in the programme that day,” Dantewada district Additional Superintendent of Police Abhishekh Pallava told The Hindu . “The girls identified two of them. One of the accused was in the CRPF camp and was arrested today morning. The other has gone on leave to his native town in Uttarakhand. We have deputed a team to Uttarakhand to arrest him.”
Mr. Pallava said the Dehradun police had been alerted to ensure that the second accused does not flee. “We hope to catch him by tonight,” he said.
The arrested constable was identified as Shamim Ahmad. The other accused is constable Niraj Kandwal.
Shamim Ahmad was produced in a court in Dantewada on Wednesday and sent to judicial remand for 14 days.
The ASP ruled out any more arrests in the case. “All the 16 victims have given a consistent statement that only two people were involved. The majority of the girls have identified these two men. The accused persons stood near the toilet [of the residential school] and molested the girls on the pretext of frisking them,” he said.
The CRPF’s Chhattisgarh sector Inspector General B.S. Chauhan suspended both the constables on Wednesday.
Tribal activist Soni Sori, however, alleged that there was an attempt to save some more culprits involved in this case. “Who gave the permission for the programme inside the girls’ school premises? The local administration, the police and local political representatives are also responsible for this incident. By acting against these two constables, there is an attempt to save some persons,” she alleged.
