Five of the six persons accused of stripping and beating a girl in Hamirpur have been arrested after a video clip of the incident went viral on social media.
Three persons were arrested on Thursday night and two on Friday morning.
According to reports, the girl was sitting in Hamirpur’s City Forest and talking at a secluded spot with her male friend when a group of men arrived and began abusing the couple. They then beat up the youth and stripped the girl. They beat the girl with a belt. It is not yet known whether they sexually assaulted the girl or not.
The video of this incident went viral.
Police officials said that the matter was under investigation and the girl was sent for medical examination.
Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar said as soon as the information about the incident was received, Hamirpur’s superintendent of police was directed to arrest the accused.
According to the Hamirpur police, five accused were arrested after identifying the youths seen in the video. They have been identified as 42-year-old Kanhaiya Sharma, 18-year-old Pritam Sharma, 17-year-old Salim (fictitious name), Kamal Nishad and another minor, resident of Gaura Devi.
Meanwhile, Vimla Batham, head of State Commission for Women, strongly condemned the incident. "We are taking cognisance of the incident and will ask the government to ensure strict punishment for the accused. The incident is proof of the fact that we are heading towards a jungle raj," she said on Friday.
Meanwhile, the body of a 15-year-old girl was recovered from the house of her boyfriend's relative in Shamli district on Thursday, after she went missing a day earlier, police said, adding the boy also died later.
According to police, the boy was lying unconscious close to the girl's body and was still alive when found. He was taken to a nearby hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead, officials said. The incident took place in a village in Shamli where the girl used to live with her maternal grandfather's family.
Station House Officer Karmveer Singh said: "The couple was in a relationship and both had left their houses on Wednesday night. The autopsy report has revealed that both the victims died due to consumption of poison. So far, police have not received complaints from both sides."
Meanwhile, SP of Shamli, Abhishek, said" "Both the victims belong to different communities. Our investigation is on and necessary action will be taken."