A 23-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly molesting and assaulting two tribal women, and then attempting to rape one of them late Monday night at a village in the Bara tehsil of this district.
The women, aged 20 and 22, were walking back to their maternal Dera village in the Trans-Yamuna area when they were attacked by two men, one of them a minor, police said.
One of the victims, who suffered bite marks on her face, alleged that the accused also manhandled her infant.
Villagers rushed to the spot after the women raised an alarm and apprehended the accused, Pushpraj Singh. His partner, however, fled the scene and is absconding.
Police have booked Singh under various sections, including Section 3/7 of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Members of the Pragatisheel Mahila Sangathan and the All India Kisan Mazdoor Sabha on Tuesday staged a dharna against the alleged delay in police action.
The victims belong to the Kol community, which is anthropologically a tribe, but is recognised as Scheduled Caste in Uttar Pradesh.
Meanwhile, a 16-year-old girl, who was allegedly raped and then set on fire on Saturday in the Shankargarh area, is battling for her life with 80 per cent burns. A doctor at the Swarup Rani Nehru Hospital described her condition as critical.
Police on Monday night arrested the main accused, Gyan Patel (20), an engineering student, while his parents were arrested late on Sunday. The victim’s statement has been recorded.
