Two minor girls were allegedly lured on the pretext of marriage by two men from Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly, triggering tension in Dharchula town in Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand.
Uttarakhand News: Two minor girls were were rescued by the police from Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh, days after they were allegedly lured on the pretext of marriage by two men, triggering tension in Dharchula town in Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand.
A senior official said Thursday that the two girls were rescued by the police from UP’s Bareilly and one of the accused was also arrested on February 4, three days after the incident was reported.
A case has been lodged against the accused under sections 363 and 376 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act in connection with the incident, Pithoragarh Superintendent of Police (SP) Lokeshwar Singh said.
Love Jihad cases rapidly increasing in Uttarakhand, more rapidly in border Districts.
Shocking case from Dharchula, Pithoragarh District, #Uttarakhand
A guy named Irfan, working in a barber shop in Dharchula, Pithoragarh had lured two minor girls and took them away on Feb 1.… pic.twitter.com/RB0miQCfs8
— The Analyzer (News Updates🗞️) (@Indian_Analyzer) February 5, 2024
The officer said one of the accused has been arrested while the other is still at large and searches are underway to nab him at the earliest.
‘Love Jihad’
As per local media reports, the prime accused, Irfan, who worked in a barber shop in Dharchula town, allegedly lured the two minor girls to his hometown in Bareilly. Police said that during interrogation, Irfan revealed that he intended to take the girls to Bengaluru in Karnataka.
The incident sparked protests in the town with the locals calling it a “clear case of love Jihad” as the accused is a Muslim while the two girls belong to the Hindu community.
Tension in Dharchula town
According to the police, the incident came to light of February 1, triggering tensions in the town for a couple of days with locals descending on the streets demanding rescue of the minor girls and action against the culprits.
However, peace and normalcy returned to the town after the both the girls were rescued and one of the culprits was arrested, SP Singh said, adding that following the incident, the local police has decided to restart verification of all people from outside living in Pithoragarh district for work, trade or other purposes.
Verification of outsiders
The backlash of the incident was also witnessed among the local business community as the Dharchula traders union cancelled its membership registrations until all outside traders doing business in the town are verified by the police.
“We have cancelled membership of all 630 traders registered with Vyapar Sangh Dharchula. The new registrations of traders will be done only after proper verification of traders by the police,” Dharchula Vyapar Sangh president Bhupendra Singh Thapa said.
However, only those traders, who are doing trade in Dharchula since the year 2000, will be registered after the verification process is over, he added.
“If it becomes necessary to involve labourers for any project, the contractors concerned will be given temporary permission to take labourers from outside on their own responsibility,” Thapa said.
(With PTI inputs)