Video shows boys molesting a girl in UP; one held

A video showing two girls being molested by a group of 14 boys in Rampur district of Uttar Pradesh has gone viral on the social media, triggering an outrage in the state where incidents of crime have seen a spurt recently.

The police has arrested the main accused after registering a case against 14 boys who have been identified.

In the video, the group of boys can be seen waylaying two girls in a desolate village area of Tanda town in Rampur district.

The boys are seen molesting and groping one of the girls. One boy even lifts her.

While the girls are seen pleading with them to let them go, the boys are seen laughing and a few of them shooting the incident. "An FIR has been lodged against 14 persons. The main accused Shahnawaz has been arrested and the police probe is on," Principal Secretary (Home) Arvind Kumar said. He said no one has yet approached the police which has registered an FIR on its own.

About the accused, he said Shahnawaj, Nawved, Farmaan, Jahane Aalam and Saddam are of Kuwakhera village of Rampur district. "Attempts are on to nab the other accused," he said.

Congress spokesman Abhishek Manu Singhvi, while talking to reporters in Delhi, questioned if this was the effective law and order promised by the BJP before coming to power two months back.

He said the incidents of crime have witnessed a spurt in Uttar Pradesh since the Yogi Adityanath government took over and in this context, mentioned the Saharanpur caste violence too.

Reacting to the incident, Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Azam Khan lashed out at the BJP government over the law and order situation, even as he sarcastically advised the women to stay indoors.

"Molestation, misbehaving with the women, loot, dacoity, murder have become the order of the day. Before the Assembly polls, I had warned the voters of the consequences of voting for the BJP. I had urged them to keep in mind the perfect rule of the SP and the future of law and order. I had said if the BJP was given a chance, law and order will worsen," he told reporters.

The SP leader said what was now happening in Uttar Pradesh was "not unexpected", claiming that women in the state were not safe ever since the BJP government took over.