Nainital Rape Case: Minor victim was traumatised and stopped going to school after the incident, 65-year-old accused Muhammad Usman arrested
The hill town of Nainital in Uttarakhand has been witnessing massive protests since the incident of sexual abuse of a minor school-going girl has come to light. The heinous incident sparked outrage among locals, who took to the streets to express their anger and demand justice. Schools, shops, and markets remained shut as protestors took out protest rallies. On Wednesday (30th April), the police arrested the accused, Muhammad Usman, a 65-year-old contractor with the Nainital Public Works Department, after the minor victim told her family about the incident. He was booked under relevant provisions of the BNS and the POCSO Act.
Accused Usman threatened her
On 12th April, the 12-year-old victim had gone to the local market to buy some groceries. That’s when accused Usman allegedly lured her by offering ₹200 and took her to his house. He raped her in his garage and threatened her not to disclose the incident to anyone. Sacred of his threat, the victim did not tell her family about it for days. Finally, she told her mother about the incident, who filed a complaint at Mallital Police Station on Wednesday (30th April).
The victim stopped going to school
As per reports, the minor victim lives with her elder sister in Nainital and the two sisters studied in a private school. For some time, the minor victim had been acting strangely. She stopped talking to anyone and refused to go to school. When her elder sister noticed her behaviour, she called their maternal grandmother. The victim still did not tell anyone about the rape as the accused had threatened her. Eventually, both sisters stopped going to school, and their maternal grandmother got their names removed from the school on 16th April.
Uttarakhand government to sponsor the victim’s education
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that the state government will sponsor the education of the victim and her sister. Besides, the victim will be provided financial assistance through welfare schemes. District Magistrate Vandana Singh said that the government will provide ₹4000 per month to the victim under the sponsorship scheme, and she will also receive financial assistance from the State Legal Services Authority.
In a statement issued by the CM Office, the Chief Minister assured that the culprit will not be spared. “The Chief Minister said that the culprits will not be spared under any circumstances, and they will be given the strictest punishment. He talked about ensuring a quick investigation and speedy justice in the case,” the statement read.
Speaking to the media, DGP Uttarakhand, Deepam Seth, said on Saturday (3rd May) that the investigation in the case will be conducted speedily. ”On 30 April, an incident of rape with a minor girl in Nainital came to light. Immediately, an FIR was registered in the matter. The accused had been held and sent to jail. Police have taken all measures to protect the victim and her family. We will ensure that the probe is conducted in a time-bound manner and the accused gets a harsh punishment,” said DGP Seth.
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