The Uttar Pradesh police is considering a case under the stringent National Security Act against a person accused of stalking a minor girl and chopping off one of her hands in a brutal sword attack in Lakhimpur Kheri district.
The accused, identified as Rohit Chaurasia, allegedly attacked the minor girl in broad daylight with a sword on Wednesday completely severing her left hand, while heavily damaging her right hand. She also suffered injuries to her head.
The attack took place near a busy market place in Lakhimpur.
According to locals, the accused chased down the girl and first struck her on the head, after which he targetted her limbs and chopped off her left hand completely.
He was on the verge of dismembering her right hand too when locals overpowered him and handed him over to the police.
The victim, who suffered immense blood loss, was referred to Lucknow for treatment. Incidentally, after an 11-hour surgery, doctors at the King George Medical University managed to fix back her hand, said Dr. A. K. Singh, head of the hospital's plastic surgery department on Thursday.
The victim will be kept under observation for one week as the condition of the repaired hand is delicate, Dr. Singh said.
The victim's right hand was also injured in the attack, with damages to its flexon tendon, fingers, palm and nerve fibres, the KGMU said.
The accused, who was the victim's neighbour, was sent to jail. He was booked for attempt to murder, assaulting a woman with intent to outrage her modesty and voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapon.
Relevant clauses of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act were also invoked, said S. Chinappa, Superintendent of Police, Kheri.
“Taking maximum action”
The accused would be additionally booked under the NSA.
Asked on what ground was the police invoking NSA, Mr. Chinappa told The Hindu : "We are taking the maximum action in this case. It is a heinous crime, it can have [an impact] on society."
The motive behind the attack is still not clear though the family of the girl alleged that the accused had been harassing her for a while.
The police, however, said the two got engaged in an altercation over a mobile charger leading to the attack that has left the district near the Indo-Nepal border in a state of shock.
