A driver made an attempt to kill a college girl by burning her in district Pauri after she resisted his sexual advances. The incident has created tension in Uttarakhand. The Police have arrested the accused man and claim it to be a case of a one-sided love affair.
College students expressed anger over the shocking incident. The agitated youths staged a protest near the district magistrate office in Pauri on Monday. Demanding death penalty for the accused, the protesters asked the state government to bear the entire medical expenses of the victim.
The incident occurred when the girl was returning on her scooter after examination from college in Pauri on Sunday evening. Manoj Singh ‘Bunty’ (30) chased her and forcefully stopped her at an isolated place. He then began misbehaving and sexually assaulting her.
When the girl resisted and began shouting for help, Bunty threw petrol on her and set her afire. After the act, he ran away from the spot. He was arrested later by the Pauri Garhwal police. The victim suffered over 70 per cent burns and was moved to All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Rishikesh for advanced medical care.
The incident has sent shockwaves in the hill state. On Monday, various student union groups joined hands to stage a protest in Pauri. As such incidents are rare in the hills, the students were agitated and demanded death sentence for the accused. They also asked the state government to provide full medical support to the victim whose condition is critical.