3-year-old girl dies in TN after sexual assault; police arrest teenager

Chennai, June 15 (IANS) A three-year-old girl died in a Chennai hospital on Monday after she was allegedly sexually assaulted at Gumidipundi in Thiruvallur district of Tamil Nadu.

The police have arrested a nineteen-year-old migrant worker from Bihar in the case.

The incident occurred in Pudupettai village near the SIPCOT industrial estate at Gummiddippondi, an area that houses nearly 300 private factories employing a large number of migrant workers. Most of these migrant workers are from Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Odisha.

According to the police, the girl, who is the daughter of migrant workers from Bihar, was missing since Sunday evening. Her disappearance led to frantic search by the family and local people, and hours later she was found in a bushy area with severe injuries and heavy bleeding.

She was immediately rushed to the government hospital in Gummidipoondi and later shifted to Stanley Medical College, Chennai.

News of the assault spread, and a large number of migrant workers and local people assembled and caught hold of the 19-year-old migrant worker from Bihar identified as Bipin Manjhi, who was staying close to the house of the girl and her family.

Police said the worker was also employed in the same steel factory along with the parents of the deceased girl.

According to preliminary reports, the nineteen-year-old boy was alone involved in the alleged rape and police ruled out the presence of others as claimed by the local people.

Former BJP state President K. Annamalai, who has recently quit the party and formed the “We the Leader” movement, called upon the state government to immediately take stringent action against rising crimes in the state.

DMK deputy general secretary and Member of Parliament, Kanimozhi, also lashed out at the state government. She called upon the government to take stringent action against the rising crimes in the state.

A case was registered under provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. After being arrested, the accused was taken to a court for remand.

–IANS

aal/dpb