While invoking the National Security Act (NSA) against a 25-year-old man, arrested for allegedly raping an eight-year-old girl in July, the police in Bhadohi district of Uttar Pradesh said that the crime had sparked widespread law and order concerns and instilled fear among families in the area. Under the NSA, which is a preventive detention law to maintain public order and national security, the maximum period for which one may be detained is 12 months. Though Rajkamal Chauhan alias Kaliya, a resident of neighbouring Jaunpur, was arrested a few days after the incident in July, and booked under the POCSO Act, the police invoked the NSA on Sunday. According to police, in July this year, an eight-year-old girl was abducted while she was sleeping outside her house with her family members. She was found in a critical condition hours later with multiple injury marks on her body. She was hospitalised for four days. A day later, Kaliya, who had allegedly abducted the girl and sexually assaulted her, was arrested in an encounter with the police. Arms and ammunition were reportedly recovered from his possession, said police. “The incident caused widespread fear among the residents, leaving people concerned about the safety of their children sleeping outdoors,” said Superintendent of Police (Bhadohi) Abhimanyu Manglik. According to police, the crime caused such a major disturbance in the district that families stopped sending their children to school. “It had such a serious adverse impact on public order that the authorities were compelled to take immediate and significant measures to restore law and order in the area,” said a police officer. “The district administration and police worked tirelessly to restore public confidence and ensure normalcy,” said Manglik, adding that the NSA notice has been served to Kaliya in jail under the state government’s “Mission Shakti 5.0”, aimed at promoting women’s safety, dignity, and empowerment.
