Taulihawa, February 24
Tension gripped Hardauna of Kapilvastu district throughout Thursday as local people clashed with police demanding the handover of a 28-year-old local, who allegedly tried to rape a 12-year-old girl. More than 13 police personnel and seven locals have sustained injuries in the fighting. Enraged locals vandalised police vehicles numbered Na 1 Ga 494, Ba 1 Ga 2566 and Na 1 Jha 1302, police informed.
Local people accused Saddam Pathan of trying to rape the girl, who was out in the field at Hardauna-4 to collect cow dung.
According to police, Pathan had held the girl’s hands while she was collecting cow dung but he fled the scene and hid himself in his own house after the girl cried for help. A team from the Hardauna border police post Hardauna has arrested the accused.
The injured include BPO Hardauna in-charge, Sub-inspector Prem Kumar Chaudhary, police officer Ganesh Man Khatik and Arjun Thapa, Kapilvastu DSP Prahlad Adhikari informed. Police had used force after a mob encircled the Hardauna police post, demanding that police should allow them to take action against the accused. Police fired 10 tear gas canisters and four rounds in the air to bring the situation under control.
