Tent worker rapes, strangulates 7-year-old at wedding function

Etah (UP): A seven-year-old girl attending a wedding was allegedly raped and strangled here early on Tuesday by a man hired to set up tents for the ceremony, police said.

Already fighting public anger over the rape of a teen allegedly by a ruling party MLA in Unnao, the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh, in a quick damage control move, invoked the stringent National Security Act (NSA) against the alleged rapist.

Under the National Security Act, a person can be detained without bail or trial and authorities need not disclose grounds of detention if they believe the detainee can act in a way that poses a threat to the security of the state or the country or the maintenance of public order.

Enraged over the heinous crime, the victim's family blocked the Etah-Farrukhabad road, while opposition parties slammed the Yogi Adityanath government for the "sudden spurt" in rape cases.

The protesters, demanding Rs 10 lakh as compensation, lifted the blockade after a couple of hours following an assurance from Premlata Verma David, wife of Etah MLA Vipin Kumar David, that their demands will be looked into, police said.

According to police, the incident took place at around 1.30 am near Mandi Samiti gate on Aliganj road where the girl had gone with her family to attend the wedding.

Sonu Jatav (19), who was given the task of putting up tents for the marriage ceremony lured the girl, raped her and subsequently killed her, Superintendent of Police Akhilesh Chaurasia said.

He said the man was in an inebriated state.

"After this, the accused fled the spot. The body of the girl was found in an under-construction house in the vicinity of the marriage venue. A rope was found tied around the neck of the girl," he said.

The girl was rushed to the district hospital where she was declared brought dead.

The body of the girl has been sent for post-mortem examination.

"On the basis of complaints filed by family members, police have arrested Sonu Jatav," he said.

"A case has been registered against the accused for rape and murder of the girl," the SP said. The POCSO Act, which seeks to protect children from sexual offences, has also been invoked. He said the National Security Act will be slapped on the accused.

Slamming the ruling BJP, Samajwadi Party spokesperson and MLC Sunil Singh Sajan said, "I simply fail to understand why the law and order in the state has deteriorated so much after the BJP has come to power in UP.

"On the one hand, the government claims that encounters are going on in the state and on the other the crime ratio has surged. The BJP had claimed that as soon as they come to power, the law and order will improve. But going by the sudden spurt in incidents, I feel that even minor girls are not safe in the state," he said.

The Congress too attacked the BJP government.

UP Congress spokesperson Ashok Singh said, "It is an irony that criminal elements are roaming freely in the state, and UP has become virtually the number one state in the country going by the spurt in rapes and other crimes."

He added, "Congress will soon launch a mass movement across the state to highlight the surge in crime."