A 17-YEAR-OLD Dalit girl was allegedly held hostage and raped for over 48 hours by a local in Raniganj area of Pratapgarh district. The girl was rescued by villagers on Wednesday, when they came to know that she was being held at a house that had been locked for the last few days. Police were informed but the accused, who was later identified as Rakesh Yadav — a resident of the same village — managed to escape. Later, the girl’s father lodged a complaint with the police and an FIR for rape was lodged against Yadav. “The girl was sent for medical examination on Thursday but she claimed that she has not been raped. She submitted a written statement saying she did not want to be medically examined. Still, we are trying to get her medically examined. She will later be produced before a magistrate to record her statement before we initiate any further action,” Raniganj Station Officer Lallan Singh Yadav said. The officer added: “The families of the girl and the accused seem have come to a compromise and the girl has said she was not raped.” The station officer said IPC sections related to kidnapping were not included in the FIR because the girl claimed to have gone with the accused on her own.
