KOLLAM: Kollam DCC president Bindu Krishna has been booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, for posting pictures of the abducted Rajasthani girl’s family on social media. The Oachira police registered the case on Saturday night. When the issue snowballed into a controversy, she withdrew the pictures.
Bindu had twice posted the pictures of the family on Facebook during her visits on March 20 and 21. She staged a 24-hour-long hunger strike in front of the abducted girl’s house at Oachira on Friday demanding the arrest of the main accused.As the victim is a minor, the police have registered the case against her abductors under POCSO Act. Any act that leads to disclosure of details of the victim is also an offence that could fetch up to one year of jail term and fine. The Section 23 of the POCSO Act states no person shall disclose the identity of a child, including name, address, photograph, family details, school, neighbourhood or any other particulars, which may lead to the disclosure of the identity of the child.
Mujeeb Rehman, an advocate from Mavelikkara, filed a complaint against the DCC president for publicising the details of the victim’s family. The petitioner said she had violated POSCO Act for cheap publicity. The petitioner also demanded action against over 750 people who shared the picture on Facebook. The complaint was given to the State Police Chief, the District Police Chief and the Oachira SHO. The police are also considering action against people who shared the controversial post.
The police have not been able to nab the main culprit. Though they managed to arrest three of the four-member gang, Muhammed Roshan, the main accused, and the victim remain untraceable almost a week after the incident. The police have issued a look-out notice against Muhammed Roshan and sent teams to Rajasthan and Maharashtra.
A four-member gang led by Roshan abducted the 14-year-old girl of a nomadic family from Rajasthan after assaulting her parents on March 18 night from Ochira.
Stringent rule
The Section 23 of the POCSO Act states no person shall disclose the identity of a child, including name, address, photograph, family details, school, neighbourhood or any other particulars