A maulvi was arrested on October 20 for attempting to rape a 17-year-old girl who he forcibly dragged inside a mosque. The girl’s cries for help alerted locals including the victim’s family members who thrashed the maulvi and rescued the girl. The incident occurred in the jurisdiction of Halaina Police Station in Rajasthan’s Bharatpur. The accused maulvi has been arrested and booked under POCSO.

An OpIndia report on the matter notes:

SHO Vijay Singh Chonkar informed that the 17-year-old girl in her complaint said that she went to fill out a scholarship form at around 11:30 am on Thursday when the accused Maulvi who has been identified as Rashid, asked the girl for her mobile and after the girl gave her mobile to Rashid he started walking towards the mosque, the girl also followed him, soon after reaching near the mosque the accused Maulavi dragged the girl inside the mosque and started touching her inappropriately. However, the family members of the girl were informed by locals about the Maulvi dragging her inside the mosque. After thrashing the Maulvi, the locals handed him over to the police.

The SHO also told that the victim knew the accused Rashid. The mosque where the accused used to reside for over 10 years is near the victim’s residence. Police are questioning the accused and necessary action will be taken.

A similar incident was reported from the Shukla Ganj area of Uttar Pradesh’s Unnao District where Maulvi Abdul Rahim attempted to rape a five-year-old girl studying in the madrasa where Rahim taught. The Ganga Ghat police registered a case under serious sections on the complaint of the victim’s family members and arrested the accused.

Rahim hails from Bihar’s Darbhanga and was acquainted with the girl. He lured the girl under the pretext of seeing a pond. He then molested and attempted to rape the child. The teary-eyed victim narrated her ordeal to her family members who filed a complaint against the maulvi.

In Madhya Pradesh’s Indore, a 12-year-old girl was molested by a 52-year-old maulana inside a madrasa. He was booked under relevant sections of the IPC and POCSO Act after the incident came to light. His family members were also booked for assaulting the victim’s relatives.

Instances of sexual assault of women are on the rise in Rajasthan’s Bharatpur which is historically a part of the Mewat region which reports indicate is turning almost exclusively Muslim.