A 16-year-old in Ballia, Uttra Pradesh, said she was sexually assaulted by eight men.
A 16-year-old girl was allegedly gang-raped last night by eight men who included a police constable and the head-man of her village in Ballia, nearly 400 km from Uttar Pradesh capital Lucknow. The girl's father, the police said, died of shock after hearing about the matter.
The family alleges that the village pradhan, who was among the culprits, had filed the complaint and softened the charges -- instead of a case of rape, the police have filed a case of molestation.
"We have lost confidence on the police. As our father died after this incident, we were busy. Nobody asked us anything. The pradhan filed the complaint," said the girl's elder sister, who is 20 years old.
The family says there is a long-standing dispute over land with the Pradhan, Pradeep Yadav. The constable, 38-year-old Dharam Raj, has been suspended from his job and arrested. He has been accused of molestation.
The teen said she had been assaulted by the men when she left the house on Sunday night to relieve herself. The family lives barely 100 meters from the police post, where Dharam Raj is usually on duty. "When I had stepped out to go to the toilet at night, the Pradhan along with the police constable and others raped me," the teen said.
The police say they have acted on basis of the complaint that they received. "Based on the complaint filed by the relatives of the victim, the police have taken action. The incident took place in Thana Rewati in Gopal Nagar and the accused have been arrested," said Vijay Pal Singh, a senior police officer of the area.
The girl is yet to undergo a medical examination.