CHANDIGARH: Communal tension erupted on Wednesday evening in Sundernagar town, Mandi district, Himachal Pradesh, as members of two communities came face to face, leading to a fight and heated arguments over allegations of harassment and an attempted abduction of a 13-year-old schoolgirl by a 38-year-old married man from a minority community.
Sources said that the 38-year-old man had allegedly been stalking the girl for several days. On Wednesday, he reportedly arrived in an SUV near the minor’s house and attempted to abduct her. The girl’s family intervened, but the accused allegedly misbehaved with them. This prompted locals to gather at the spot, thrash him, smear his face with black paint, and hand him over to the police.
As the police recorded statements from the victim and her relatives, members of the accused’s community reportedly entered the police station, created a disturbance, and engaged in heated arguments with the people accompanying the girl’s father.
The incident also caused a traffic jam in the area. Additional police forces were called in as members of both communities gathered outside the police station, and the situation was eventually brought under control.
The incident resulted in the registration of three First Information Reports (FIRs).
Deputy Superintendent of Police, Sundernagar, Bharat Bhushan, confirmed that one FIR was registered against the man who attempted to abduct the minor under relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and the vehicle involved has been impounded.
The second FIR was registered against the relatives of the accused for creating a disturbance at the police station, while the third FIR was filed against those who assaulted the accused. The police stated that the accused will be produced in court.