A man was arrested on charges of attempting to sexually abuse a 13-year-old Irula girl at Marandahalli here on Wednesday.
The accused Muniappan, a labourer, took the girl on his bike on the pretext of giving her a lift back from the school. He took her to a secluded spot and attempted to sexually assault her. Hearing her cries, locals rescued the girl and beat up the man before handing him over to the police late Tuesday evening. High tension prevailed when Marandahalli police transferred the accused to Mahendramangalam police station past midnight. The relatives of the girl staged a blockade and demanded that a case be registered in Marandahalli police station, and no attempt be made to transfer the accused, a Vanniyar man. Following this, tahsildar reached the spot and held talks with the family. An assurance was given to the family that a case will be registered at Mahendramangalam police station. On Wednesday, cases were registered under the provisions of POCSO Act and Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
