‘Puja’ at Gangotri shrine suspended for half a day over recent gang-rape and killing of minor girl

On Friday night the victim was kidnapped from her house in Astal village, about 20 kilometres from Uttarkashi district headquarters. She was gang-raped near her house and was subsequently strangled to death.

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Puja in Uttarakhand suspended as a mark of protest over recent gang rape and death of 11-year-old girl. (Representational Image)

The ‘puja’ rituals performed at the Gangotri shrine were suspended by the priests for a half a day, on Monday, as a mark of protest against the recent gang-rape and killing of an 11-year-old girl from a village in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi district, under which also falls the Gangotri shrine.

On Friday night the victim was kidnapped from her house in Astal village, about 20 kilometres from Uttarkashi district headquarters. She was gang-raped near her house and was subsequently strangled to death.

Protests by locals have been ongoing since Saturday morning, when the body of the minor was found on a bridge in the village.

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While the locals have been demanding that the culprits be arrested, an SIT (Special Investigation Team) enquiry in the case is ongoing.

“Interrogations of suspects have been going on but we are yet to find the culprits,” Uttarkashi District Magistrate Ashish Chauhan said.

Sources in the administration said that the culprit could be a local from the village, who was known to the victim’s family.

The internet services in the district that were suspended on Saturday, remained suspended till Monday night. However, Chauhan said that the situation was under control and that internet services might resume. However, locals continued the protests on Monday too and the Gangotri priests joined the protests by refusing to performing any ‘puja’ ritual till Monday afternoon.

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