Tripura: Love Jihad accused arrested
Police have arrested ‘Love Jihad’ accused Ershad Khan from Sonamura Hospital Choumuhani area in Tripura on Sunday. Khan is accused of kidnapping and raping of a minor Hindu girl of Udaipur in Tripura. This sparked serious outcry and more than a thousand people blocked the National Highway at Udaipur on Friday last demanding immediate arrest of Ershad Khan.
Coming under serious public outcry, Khan was arrested within 24 hours after the Gomati District Police superintendent gave a written assurance to agitators against the ‘Love Jihad’ in Udaipur. Sonamura Police along with two DIB personnel arrested Ershad Khan.
The minor Hindu girl was allegedly trapped and raped by Ershad Khan – this irked locals and they staged blockade at Chanban in Udaipur on Friday last.
According to the agitators who also got support from some Hindu organizations, the police are not acting promptly on the issue and government is their only hope.
Noticing the intensity of the protest being escalated with time, Agriculture Minister Pranajit Singha Roy rushed to the spot and talked to the agitators. Higher police officials including SP Gomati, Additional District Magistrate, SDPO Udaipur and other officials also rushed to the spot. After giving a patient hearing to the agitators, the minister assured them all the support. The blockade was lifted after about two and a half hours followed by a written assurance of arrest from the police super.
Sources said, Ershad Khan trapped a minor girl of Hindu community using a fake Hindu identity and allegedly raped her. The incident took place during Durga Puja and after repeated efforts from the victim family, police action, the agitators felt, was not enough to arrest the accused.
The Agriculture Minister said, “All the necessary steps will be taken and if the complaints of dereliction in duty are found to be true, actions will be taken. The locals have alleged about abduction and rape of a minor girl and the culprits will be surely punished as per the law. And, nobody is beyond the law, action will be taken against those also who are trying to help the accused persons”.
The SP of Gomati district gave a written assurance to agitators relating to prompt action to nab the Love Jihad accused person. This pacified the agitators and they withdrew road blockade. And Police arrested Ershad within 24 hours after SP gave the assurance.