Dattapukur Girl Assault: Man Held, Protests Erupt at Hospital

A man aged 40 has been taken into custody for the alleged sexual assault of a three-and-a-half-year-old girl in Dattapukur, North 24 Parganas, West Bengal. The accused has been identified as Arjun Sardar.

According to the information available, the accused had gone to a relative's residence in Dattapukur. He allegedly took the girl to the roof of a nearby house and assaulted her there.

The incident occurred on Thursday, but it came to light only on Friday. The news quickly spread through the neighbourhood and caused tension among the residents.

Police stated that the victim's family had been renting a home in Subhashnagar for the past three months. The locality comes under the Nilganj outpost of Dattapukur police station.

Residents said that when they visited the Nilganj outpost to register a complaint, the police refused to do so at first. However, a case was later lodged under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012. Police arrested the accused on Friday night.

During interrogation, the accused confessed to the crime, police said. He was produced in the Barasat court on Saturday, and police asked for his custody for further investigation.

The girl was taken to Barasat Medical College and Hospital for a medical examination. The family and local residents said they were forced to wait for a long time because only one woman doctor was present and she was busy with other patients.

Locals alleged that the absence of women doctors delayed the examination by several hours, which triggered protests outside the hospital. The situation was later brought under control.

The victim's family has demanded harsh punishment for those responsible.