Man arrested under POCSO for assaulting 3-year-old girl in Bengal's Dattapukur

Kolkata: A man in his forties was arrested in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district for allegedly sexually assaulting a three-and-a-half-year-old girl, police said on Saturday.

The accused, identified as Arjun Sardar, had reportedly visited a relative's house in Dattapukur when he allegedly took the child to the roof of a neighbouring house and assaulted her sexually.

The incident is said to have taken place on Thursday and came to light the following day, on Friday, triggering tension in the area.

According to the police, the victim's family has been living in Subhashnagar in a rented house under Nilganj outpost in Dattapukur police station area for the last three months.

Local residents said they went to file a complaint at Nilganj outpost of Dattapukur police station, but police refused to do so. Later, a case was registered against the accused under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, and an investigation was launched. The police arrested the accused on Friday night.

Police said the accused has confessed to the crime during interrogation. He was produced before the Barasat court on Saturday. The police sought his custody for further investigation.

The child was taken to Barasat Medical College and Hospital for a physical examination. Her family and local residents alleged they had to wait for a long time at Barasat Medical College and Hospital as there was only one female doctor available at that time, and that too was busy.

Locals alleged that the girl's medical examination was delayed for several hours due to the unavailability of female doctors, sparking protests at the hospital.

The situation was later brought under control. The victim's family has demanded stringent punishment for the accused.

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