A girl from the Dalit community was reportedly molested by a man in the Ghaziabad district of Uttar Pradesh, according to the authorities on 12th May. The victim is a minor whose father has lodged a complaint against Shadab and Shoaib. In the complaint, he disclosed that he is a resident of a Muslim-dominated area and the accused have harassed several other girls there. The incident transpired on 28th April and the police registered a First Information Report on 10th May and started investigation.
The case pertains to the Masuri police station area of Ghaziabad. A Dalit living in the area submitted a complaint on 10th May in which he mentioned that he belongs to a predominantly Muslim neighbourhood. Shadab and Shoaib also live there. They are vagabonds who misbehave, molest and sexually harass many girls in the village. The complainant asserted that both have been dodging legal action because they are financially strong.
They began molesting the complainant’s underage daughter for a few days. She faced obscene behaviour from the pair whenever she went somewhere. In addition to forcing her to accept their number, they started pushing her for marriage. They began taking offensive photos of her and used them to blackmail her. He charged that Shoaib and Shadab were enticing his daughter with malicious intent. Additionally, they were relentlessly calling his daughter.
The complaint further highlighted that the girl was en route to a location on 28th April. Meanwhile, the duo exposed her to more lewd acts once again after which she became upset and narrated the entire ordeal to her brother, the next day. On 30th April he called Shadab and asked him not to molest his sister, but the admonition had no effect on him. On the other hand, the offenders used casteist slurs and mistreated the Dalit boy.
According to the complaint, Shadab and Shoaib also threatened to eliminate the victim’s entire family over the phone and revealed that the accused had previously been the subject of many complaints. Afterwards, the police placed the victim’s and both of the accused’s phones in evidence and lodged charges against the latter for breach of peace. The father has sought stern punishment against Shadab and Shoaib, calling the action insufficient.
The police have registered an FIR against Shadab and Shoaib under sections 354, 354 (a), 504 and 506 of the Indian Penal Code besides the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. Both Muslim males are alleged to have absconded after the complaint was submitted and their whereabouts are being probed. The girl’s statement was recorded by the cops on 11th May. She would soon appear in court to record her statement under section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. OpIndia has a copy of the complaint.
They want us to leave
OpIndia spoke to the complainant who unveiled that they are facing a lot of harassment in the Muslim-dominated village. The victim’s father voiced that rape cases are already registered against the accused. When inquired about the reason behind their heinous actions he expressed, “They want us to leave our house.” He identified himself as a devotee of Lord Shiva and raised concerns for his son’s safety. We were also informed that numerous Muslims have been pressuring the Dalit family to compromise.
Shoaib is a buffalo thief
The father declared that he won’t withdraw the case at all. When we questioned whether the elders of the Muslim community don’t talk to the culprits and try to reason with them he conveyed, “If they did, why would we have to suffer through all this?” Notably, Shoaib who is named as the second accused is an infamous cattle-smuggler in the area. An official complaint has already been registered against him regarding the theft of buffalos. The complainant stated that he was guaranteed complete security and the authorities were actively looking into his case.
