jaipur

Updated: Oct 05, 2019 23:50 IST

Three men were arrested on Saturday for molesting a Dalit teenager and beating her male companion. The accused, who also circulated a video of the sexual harassment on social media, were booked under sections of POSCO and IT Act, said police.

All three were picked up from Kotey Manchari village near Kaila Devi temple in Karauli, said Karauli SP Anil Beniwal.

Inspector General of police of Bharatpur range, Laxman Gaur said he had received a video on Saturday morning showing four to five men asking the girl to strip while the episode is filmed. Men are also seen beating up the woman’s companion in the video that appeared to have been filmed in a hilly terrain in full daylight.

The police said the case appeared similar to the Alwar gang rape incident in which a Dalit woman was gang-raped in front of her husband in April and a video circulated on the social media. The Rajasthan government and police had come under fire for poor handling of the situation.

Gaur said the latest incident was from September 30, when the victim and her relative were accosted by the accused on the way to Kaila Devi temple and taken to a nearby hill.

They molested the girl and forced her to strip while beating up her companion with sticks. The duo can he heard requesting the accused to leave them, said Gaur. They accused made a video of the incident and posted it on social media.

Gaur said police teams circulated the video clip of the accused widely in their attempt to trace them.

The school uniform worn by the girl finally helped them in the trace. “Police went to the school and got the girl’s address. They spoke to family members and were able to identify the accused,” said Gaur

Orders to stop private circulation of the video have been issued. “If we come across any incident of circulation of the video, we will register a case under IT act and take immediate action,” said Beniwal.