Two instances of sexual assault on minors surface from Andhra Pradesh on Monday. While police arrested a 28-year-old man for sexually assaulting a six-year-old girl at Palamaner town of Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh on Sunday night. Another instance of a 14-year-old sexually assaulting a six-year-old has surfaced from East Godavari district of the state. The police have arrested the teenage boy and have booked him under the Disha Act. The 14-year-old minor will be produced before a Juvenile Justice Court.
Speaking to TNM, the District Superintendent of Police for Palamner, Arifullah said the incident took place past 8 pm on Sunday when the girl was home alone. "Her parents had gone out for shopping leaving the six-year-old behind. Her neighbour Mohan went to the girl’s house at the time and sexually assaulted her. He had left the spot after committing the crime but the child was crying and the neighbours alerted her family who rushed her to the hospital. Sexual assault has been confirmed by doctors and we have collected forensic evidence," said the officer.
Apart from relevant sections of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) Act, 2012 the police have also booked the accused Mohan under the Disha Act. The Act mandates the police file the chargesheet in sexual assault cases within a week and fast-tracks the case. Police say the forensic evidence has been sent to Vijayawada. "Mohan worked in Bengaluru and had been staying with his family at Palamaner since the lockdown," said the officer. The condition of the child is stable, he added.
In another case that came to light, a 14-year-old allegedly sexually assaulted a six-year-old girl under the Pattipadu police station limits, reported The Hindu. The child's single-mother had to leave the village to attend to a medical emergency of a relative and the six-year-old was entrusted in the care of the 14-year-old.
The sexual assault took place on Sunday evening. The child informed the mother when she arrived the same night and a complaint was lodged with the police on Monday morning. The child has been shifted to a government hospital and her condition is said to be stable. In this case, police have registered a case under the POCSO act. The child will be produced before the Juvenile Justice Board, said the Peddapuram DSP A Srinivasa Rao to the newspaper.