Police said they had identified the prime accused, who is in his twenties, and were on the lookout for him. (Representational/File)A WEEK after a video surfaced on social media where a group of people is seen taking photographs of an injured teenaged girl and not coming forward to help her, the Kannauj police on Friday registered a fresh FIR against 20 unidentified persons on several charges, including disclosing the identity of a minor, by uploading the videos on social media. Police said the girl is undergoing treatment at a hospital in Kanpur and doctors said she was stable.
The FIR was registered after a police sub-inspector filed a complaint. In the complaint, the S-I alleged that on October 23 he was alerted by an informer that a minor girl was lying injured in the bushes near a guest house in Kannauj district.
“The informer also said that several people had gathered at the spot and were shooting videos and clicking photographs while the girl was in pain and seeking help. The complainant reached the spot and stopped the people from taking photographs and shooting videos. He took the girl to a hospital for treatment.
The sub-inspector said in the FIR that the accused showed “inhumane behaviour” by not taking the girl to hospital and instead uploaded her videos on social media that revealed her identity,” police said.
“The investigation in the case has begun and we are in process of identifying those involved in shooting the videos and clicking photographs of the victim,” said the in-charge of the police station concerned.
The FIR was registered against 20 unidentified persons under IPC sections 228-A (Disclosure of identity of the victim of certain offences etc), 354-C (voyeurism) and 505-2 (Statements creating or promoting enmity, hatred or ill-will between classes), said a police officer. The police also invoked the Information and Technology Act against the accused.
In the videos shared online, the girl is seen bleeding. A group of bystanders are purportedly seen recording videos of the girl even as she is seen feebly moving her hand. In another video, a policeman is seen taking the girl to a hospital in an autorickshaw.
According to the police, the girl stepped out of her residence on October 23 morning to visit a nearby market. When she did not return home, her family started searching for her.
Later in the day, she was spotted lying in the bushes with injuries.
“While scanning CCTV footage of the market area, police spotted a youth approaching the girl and talking to her on October 23 morning,” said a police officer. The prime accused, who is in 20s, has been identified and a search is on for him, added the officer.
The girl’s family was informed and a relative registered an FIR against an unidentified person on several charges, including rape, kidnapping and attempt to murder. In the complaint, the relative alleged that the accused beat her up and injured her after she resisted a sexual assault attempt.
Police sources said the girl’s medical examination report indicates that she suffered a head injury but there was no sign of injury on her private parts.
“The allegation of sexual assault could not be confirmed so far and an investigation is on,” said a police officer associated with the probe in the case. The statement of the girl is yet to be recorded.
Police said the prime accused has four cases against him. In two of them, he has been accused of sexually assaulting a minor. “Earlier this week, the police conducted raids to nab the accused but he managed to escape. On Thursday, four persons, including a woman, were arrested for allegedly helping him flee and giving him shelter. The arrested persons are relatives and friends of the prime accused,” police said.