Chandigarh, October 23
On Friday, a mob attacked a defendant and his grandfather, who were in police custody accused of raping and burning a six-year-old girl in Tanda in the Hoshiarpur district.
The mob demanded the surrender of the accused, Gurpreet Singh and his grandfather Surjit Singh, so that they could punish them with their bare hands.
The defendant allegedly killed the minor and burned her body, after which the half-burned body was found in her home, police said of the crime that occurred Thursday.
The National Commission for the Protection of the Rights of the Child learned suo-moto of the crime and requested a report from the state within three days.
The girl’s body was found at the defendants’ residence in Tanda’s Jalalpur village on Thursday night, police said.
The defendants have been arrested on murder and rape charges under the IPC and the Child Protection Against Sexual Offenses Act.
Police took the defendants to a hospital in Tanda on Friday for their medical examination when the mob attacked them. The police rescued them when the mob broke the windows of the hospital.
According to the FIR, the defendant Gurpreet took the girl home where he allegedly raped her.
Expressing shock at the crime, the chief minister, Captain Amarinder Singh, said he had ordered the director general of the police to ensure a proper investigation and that the challan comes quickly.
“Demand a speedy trial and exemplary punishment of the guilty by the court,” he said in a tweet.
Taking note of the media reports, the National Commission for the Protection of Children’s Rights in a letter to the SSP requested details of the crime, including a copy of the FIR, the action taken against the accused and the details of the autopsy in three days. IANS
