Tamil Nadu: Youth arrested under Pocso for harassing minor

VELLORE: The younger sister of a 15-year-old girl, who committed suicide after three of her neighbours sexually harassed her two months ago, lodged a complaint against a 19-year-old youth for sexually harassing her in Vellore.

Based on her complaint, police booked M Selvarasu , a painter from the same locality, under Section 12 (punishment for sexual harassment ) of the Protection of Children from the Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act.

Police produced him before a court that remanded him in judicial custody. If convicted, he shall be imprisoned for a term which may extend to three years and shall also be liable for a fine.

Police said the minor girl and youth had had a brief relationship before the girl's father came to know about it and asked her to break if off. The girl stopped seeing the youth after her father's diktat. Irked over this, the youth went to her house on Sunday and pushed her down and touched her inappropriately.

Vellore superintendent of police K Pravesh Kumar said the man was arrested on the same day the police received the complaint. "The girl is the sister of the minor girl who set herself on fire after three people sexually harassed her. The accused in this case is not one of the three accused booked in the earlier case. We have launched a thorough probe into the incident," he said.

PMK Rajya Sabha MP and party's youth wing president Anbumani Ramadoss while expressing deep shock over the repeated sexual assault on minor girls in the state, urged the Tamil Nadu government to invoke Goondas Act against the offenders and initiate stringent action against them to make the state safe for women and girls.