1 of the 5 accused in Thanagazi Dalit rape case a minor

ALWAR: In a major embarrassment to the Alwar police, a special court here on Thursday found that one of the five persons booked for the rape of Dalit woman in Thanagazi is a minor.
The minor’s father produced documents before the court to corroborate that his son is a 16-year-old.
A police official commenting on the blunder said that they had followed all requisite procedures. “When we had arrested him (minor), he said that he was 19 years old. He also said that he was illiterate and could not sign. We relied on his testimony,” said the official.
As per rules, a minor cannot be arrested and the police are required to check the age before initiating any action. The police, however, said that they would approach the juvenile court in the matter.
“Now that he has been found to be a minor, he will be shifted from the jail and put in a juvenile home,” an official said. Meanwhile, the minor’s father alleged that he had informed the police about his son’s age but the cops didn’t listen to his plea.
The horrifying rape took place on April 26 when a woman travelling with her husband was waylaid by five persons. They took turns to rape her, recorded the video of the act and shared it on social media websites.
The police had come under fire after it was revealed that they had delayed the registration of an FIR in the case. The police team later arrested the five accused for rape and one for sharing the video online.