Three youths booked under POCSO for alleged gang rape of 15-year-old in Datia's Goraghat area

A case of alleged gang rape of a 15-year-old girl by three youths has come to light in a village under the Goraghat police station area of Datia district. The three accused, Deepak Rawat, Suraj Rawat and Ravindra Rawat, are alleged to have caught the girl on the way as she was returning home after watching a Ganpati tableau in the village. Police have registered a case under the POCSO Act and other sections.

According to police, the incident took place on the night of September 20. The girl had gone to see the Ganpati tableau in the village that night. At about 9 pm, a relative who had gone with her returned home, but the girl stayed on to watch the tableau. She set out for home at about 10 pm. The three youths were already present near the bushes behind the Mata temple.

It is alleged that the three caught her and took her into the bushes. There they held her by the hands and feet and covered her mouth. She was then raped by them in turn. The accused also threatened to kill her.

On reaching home, the girl told her mother everything. Out of fear and concern over stigma, the family did not complain to the police at the time. As a result, the matter did not reach the police for about two months. On November 13, the girl went to the women's police station with her mother and gave a written complaint.

On Saturday, police registered a case against the three accused under the POCSO Act and the relevant sections of the BNS. Women's police station in-charge Komal Parihar said the case had been registered on the basis of the complaint. Police are investigating.