VIJAYPURA: A gang of four boys, including two minors, gang-raped and murdered a Class 9 girl, also a minor, in the Khaza Amin Dargah neighbourhood on Tuesday night. The main accused, one of the minors, was a schoolmate of the girl, a Dalit.

The girl’s family began an overnight protest at the DC’s office, demanding arrest of the accused, but dispersed after district minister M B Patil assured action would be taken.

The girl’s father has filed a complaint with the Adarsh Nagar police here. He alleged that the main accused had been harassing the girl, a student of Class 9, for months now. On Tuesday evening, he allegedly abducted her on his two-wheeler and took her to a house in the dargah locality, followed by five others in an autorickshaw.

The main accused and three others from the auto raped her even as a friend caught them in the act. They threatened to kill the friend if she told anyone. The girl, however, fled the spot and informed the victim’s parents. They found their daughter and took her to hospital. She died on the way.

Chief minister Siddaramaiah, who was in the city on Wednesday, visited the girl’s house late in the evening and handed over a cheque of Rs 8.25 lakh. He condemned the crime as “inhuman”. The district in-charge minister announced an additional Rs 5 lakh.

Vijayapura SP Kuldeep Jain said the postmortem report is awaited to ascertain the cause of death. “Prima facie, it looks like the accused did not use any weapons. Only scratch injuries have been found on the body,” he said.

A special team led by DSP D Ashok is on the lookout for the accused, he said. “We have taken in some people for interrogation. We will arrest the accused soon,” he said.

Protests were held in various cities of north Karnataka in protest against the incident. ABVP workers held a candlelight vigil at Chennamma Circle in Hubballi while Dalit and leftist outfts went on a demonstration at Gandhi Circle in Gadag.

Dalit outfits have called a bandh in Vijayapura.

“This is a pointer to the lawlessness and lack of fear among criminals in the state,” said JD(S) state president H D Kumaraswamy.

State Congress president G Parameshwara, a Dalit, maintained that the government had swung into action immediately after the incident came to its notice and there were no lapses.