Local panchayat forced the family not to report the matter to police. (Representative image) | Photo Credit: Getty Images

Dehradun: In a yet another case of crimes against children, a 9-year-old Dalit girl was raped by an upper caste youth in Nainbagh area of Tehri district.

The crime occurred at the same locality where a 23-year-old Dalit youth Hitendra Jatav was murdered for eating food alongside upper caste men during a wedding on May 5.

According to a report in Times of India, the 28-year-old accused Nitin Singh Pawar from Rajput community, lured the victim to his shop by offering sweets and raped the girl.

"The girl ran home crying and narrated her ordeal to her parents They approached the police in the evening and we registered a case immediately. She was later sent to Doon Hospital for medical examination," the report quoted Narendra Nagar Circle Officer, Uttam Singh, as saying.

The accused was arrested on Friday and booked under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, Section 376 (rape) and other relevant sections of SC/ST Act.

The mother of the victim has accused the local panchayat of forcing the family not to report the matter to police.

"The Panchayat held us up for seven hours due to which I couldn't even give first aid to my daughter. We took her to police later in the evening and they travelled with us to Dehradun for medical examination," the report further quoted the victim's mother as saying.

According to the complainant, another girl was raped from the same family by six upper caste men four years ago. The woman also alleged that the girl was murdered after rape and the family was forced not to report the matter to police.

According to local activists, Dalits are harassed on a regular basis by upper caste men, but the harassment never gets reported to police due to pressure from local panchyats.