Civic worker beaten up, tonsured for molesting Behala girl
Times of India | 13 February 2025
Kolkata: An eight-year-old minor was allegedly sexually harassed in East Behala by a 59-year-old KMC worker employed with the solid waste management department. Locals caught the accused red-handed, reportedly tied him to a lamppost and assaulted him. He was tonsured and his face was smeared with ink. Later, when the police arrived, the locals protested, refusing to hand him over. However, the cops spoke to the agitators, promising a quick charge sheet, after which they arrested the accused. A case under the stringent Pocso Act was registered at the Haridevpur Police Station.
According to police and local sources, the child, a resident of Ward 123 in Behala, was playing in front of her house when the accused approached her. The child, who called the accused ‘grandfather', was offered sweets and taken to a corner of the area. She was allegedly sexually harassed there. Local residents caught him in the act. The municipal worker was tied to a lamppost and assaulted. His hair was tonsured and face smeared with ink.
Upon receiving the news, the police from Haridevpur station went to the spot. Initially, residents protested by blocking the police vehicle and claiming that they would not hand over the accused. The police managed to pacify them and took the accused away from the area.
The cops then lodged an FIR under the Pocso Act and sent the child for the mandatory medical checkup. The police have also started collecting CCTV footage from the spot.
The Behala division said it will file the charge sheet at the earliest, even as it is arranging for counselling for the child. "We have started recording the statement of the witnesses," said an investigating officer.