india

Updated: Jan 18, 2020 19:31 IST

An assistant sub-inspector of police was beaten up by locals after he allegedly tried to molest a teenage school girl, while attending a government-organized program inside a school in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas on Friday evening.

Other police personnel present at the spot had to rescue the accused policeman and rush him to a hospital for treatment.

“We have received a complaint. The process to arrest him has been initiated. As the victim is a minor, the accused will be booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Posco) Act and Indian Penal Code (IPC). A departmental probe has also been initiated against him,” said Kankar Prasad Barui, superintendent of police of Basirhat.

Locals said that the accused police personnel was on duty at the ‘Chhatra Yuva Utsav’, a program organized by the state government for students and youth every year. The program was going on inside a school at Haroa in North 24 Parganas.

The officer had asked for a glass of water from the girl. When the girl went to give him water, he molested her, locals alleged.

“Preliminary inquiry revealed that he was chatting with the girl on how to get a job in the police. Suddenly he tried to ‘outrage her modesty’”, a police officer said.

When the news surfaced, the locals assaulted him. His motorcycle was also damaged. Other police personnel present at the spot had to intervene to rescue him.