Police used force and resorted to lathi-charge to disperse the villagers who stormed into an area of Luhariya in Rajasthan’s Bhilwara district on July 31 following reports that some boys staying there had mixed urine in the water bottle of a school girl. The villagers allegedly hurled stones on the houses in the locality.
The villagers were agitated over the lack of action against the boys by the principal of the government senior secondary school, to whom the 13-year-old girl had complained three days ago. When the police visited the school to speak to the principal on July 31, the villagers created a ruckus and locked the school’s gate.
The girl, studying in Class 8 in the school, said in her complaint that she had detected a “urine-like odour” coming from her water bottle and found a slip with “I love you” written on it in her bag. She accused three boys from the school of harassing her.
The villagers started raising slogans, gathered at the village square with sticks and stones and stormed into the locality where the boys reside. Police said when the crowd pelted stones, some stones were also thrown from the other side.
A case against the accused boys was registered at Mandal police station under Sections 354 (outraging modesty of a woman) and 270 (malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) of the Indian Penal Code and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.
The markets in Luhariya village remained closed amid a tense atmosphere on Monday. An extra police force was deployed in the village and nine persons were detained on charges of breach of peace.
