Uttarakhand: Homestay sealed in Haldwani after minor's alleged gang rape
Accused identified as an ABVP leader. He had contested the recent student union election for the post of president
A homestay in Haldwani was sealed on Saturday following the alleged gang rape of a 16-year-old girl on its premises, police said.
The homestay, Trishul Homestay in the Mukhani area, allegedly provided a room to the girl without verifying her age, according to police.
Nainital Senior Superintendent of Police Manjunath TC vowed stringent action against both the accused and the homestay operators.
Four people were arrested on Friday in connection with the case. They have been identified as Dheeraj Bisht, Nitin Pal, Ansh Khatri and Himanshu Gauni.
According to a complaint filed by the victim's family late on Thursday night, the suspects forcibly took the girl to the homestay and raped her.
Bisht was identified as an Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) leader. He had contested the recent student union election for the post of president at MBPG College in Haldwani but lost.
Following the arrests, ABVP members staged protests in Dehradun and Haldwani, demanding a thorough investigation into the alleged crime. The protesters also burnt effigies of the accused.
The student organisation maintained that Bisht no longer held any position in the ABVP, although he had contested an election earlier.
Uttarakhand ABVP secretary Yashwant Panwar condemned the incident and demanded prompt and impartial action.
He said no leniency should be shown towards anyone involved in such a crime and called for the harshest possible punishment for those found guilty.