A 35-year-old meat trader from Uttar Pradesh was arrested on Monday under the stringent Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act for reportedly molesting a minor Hindu girl inside his shop at Jakhnidhar market in Tehri Garhwal district, Uttarakhand, triggering massive public outrage and protests by Hindu organisations that arrived at the local police station demanding stricter action.

Incident Timeline and Police Action

The incident occurred on Sunday evening, July 5, 2026, when the accused, identified as Raees Ahmed (also spelled Rahees), son of Safiq, a resident of Syohara in Dhampur, Bijnor district of Uttar Pradesh, allegedly lured the minor girl into his meat shop in Jakhnidhar market. According to the First Information Report (FIR) lodged by the victim’s mother on Monday morning, Ahmed locked the shop from inside and kept the girl confined for approximately 25 minutes while allegedly molesting her and committing obscene acts.

Tehri Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Shweta Chaubey confirmed that a police team rushed to the spot on Monday morning after receiving information about the incident. “The accused, who belongs to a different community, has been arrested,” SSP Chaubey stated in an official press briefing. A case has been registered under relevant sections of the POCSO Act based on the complaint filed by the minor’s mother, and the victim has undergone a medical examination at the district hospital.

Station House Officer (SHO) of New Tehri Kotwali, Aishwarya Pal, confirmed that the arrest was made on the basis of the mother’s written complaint (tehreer). “The accused meat trader has been arrested under POCSO Act provisions and further legal proceedings are underway,” Pal stated, adding that the investigation is being conducted on multiple fronts including analysis of a viral video that captured crucial moments of the incident.

The Viral Video and Eyewitness Accounts

A video of the incident, which has circulated widely on social media platforms since Sunday night, shows the accused standing at his shop doorway, repeatedly peeking outside to check the surroundings, before deliberately closing and latching the shop door from inside. The footage, reportedly captured by a neighbouring shopkeeper, has become a critical piece of evidence in the case.

According to multiple eyewitness accounts gathered by local media, the girl had entered the shop around 6:30 PM on Sunday. When she did not emerge even after nearly half an hour, nearby shopkeepers and local residents grew suspicious. A crowd began gathering outside the shop, and upon seeing the approaching mob, Ahmed allegedly unlatched the door and allowed the girl to leave. The girl reportedly ran straight to her home and narrated the ordeal to her mother, who immediately approached the police on Monday morning.

Local traders at Jakhnidhar market told reporters that Ahmed had been operating his meat shop in the area for the past two years and was “well-known” in the market. Several shopkeepers claimed they had “never seen any suspicious behaviour” from him previously, though some admitted to having noticed him “frequently interacting with young girls from the neighbourhood” in recent months.

Communal Flashpoint and Organised Protests

The sexual assault of the minor — who belongs to the Hindu community — by a Muslim meat trader has ignited severe communal tensions in the hill town. By Monday afternoon, hundreds of local residents, joined by activists from the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal, staged a massive protest outside the New Tehri Kotwali, demanding exemplary punishment for the accused.

The protesters submitted a memorandum to Tehri District Magistrate Nitika Khandelwal and SSP Shweta Chaubey, demanding: (1) invocation of the Uttarakhand Freedom of Religion Act alongside POCSO charges, (2) a magisterial inquiry into the incident, (3) permanent cancellation of the accused’s trade licence and eviction from the market, and (4) enhanced security for minority community members in the area to prevent retaliatory violence.

“We will not allow our daughters to be preyed upon by outsiders who come here to do business but target our women,” said Rajesh Rawat, a local trader and protest organiser. “This is not just about one incident — it is about the safety of every girl in this town.”

Police Measures and Administrative Response

Anticipating escalation of communal tensions, the district administration deployed additional police forces, including Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) units, at Jakhnidhar market and sensitive locations across Tehri town. SSP Chaubey held a late-night meeting with district magistrate Nitika Khandelwal and directed all circle officers to maintain heightened vigilance and prevent any law-and-order deterioration.

“We have taken swift action — the accused is in custody, the FIR is registered under POCSO, and the investigation is proceeding expeditiously,” SSP Chaubey told reporters. “I appeal to all communities to maintain peace and not fall prey to rumours or inflammatory social media posts. The law will take its own course.”

The district magistrate has ordered a time-bound inquiry by the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Tehri, with a report expected within seven days. Meanwhile, the local intelligence unit (LIU) has been tasked with monitoring social media for hate speech and coordinating with cyber cell units to identify and act against those spreading unverified claims or inciting violence.

Accused’s Background and Legal Proceedings

Police records indicate that Raees Ahmed, aged 35, migrated from Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh, approximately two years ago and established his meat business in Jakhnidhar market after obtaining the necessary trade licence from the municipal council. He lived alone in a rented accommodation above the shop and had no prior criminal record in Uttarakhand, though police have written to Bijnor police for his antecedents verification.

Ahmed was produced before the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Tehri on Monday evening, where the prosecution sought 14-day judicial custody. The court remanded him to judicial custody until July 20, 2026. His bail application, moved by a court-appointed legal aid counsel, has been listed for hearing on July 10.

The prosecution, led by Assistant District Government Counsel (ADGC) Pradeep Bhatt, has indicated that they will seek to invoke Section 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), Section 342 (wrongful confinement), and Section 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Bharatiya Penal Code alongside POCSO Sections 8 (sexual assault), 10 (aggravated sexual assault), and 12 (sexual harassment), given the accused’s act of locking the shop door and confining the minor for 25 minutes.

Medical and Forensic Developments

The minor victim was examined at the District Hospital, New Tehri, by a three-member medical board constituted by Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr. Sanjay Jain. The medical report, submitted to the investigating officer on Monday night, confirms “signs consistent with sexual assault” and documents “abrasions and bruises on the upper extremities” consistent with physical restraint. The report also notes the victim’s “acute stress reaction” and recommends immediate psychosocial support.

Forensic teams from the State Forensic Science Laboratory (SFSL), Dehradun, visited the crime scene on Monday and collected swabs, clothing fibres, and fingerprint evidence from the shop’s interior, particularly the door latch mechanism.

The victim’s statement under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) was recorded before the Judicial Magistrate on Tuesday morning, which will carry evidentiary value during trial. Child Welfare Committee (CWC) Tehri has also taken cognisance of the case and appointed a support person for the victim as mandated under POCSO Rules.

Previous Incidents and Pattern Concerns

This incident comes barely nine months after a similar case in October 2024, when a barber named Salman, also from Najibabad in Bijnor district, was accused of molesting and attempting to forcibly convert a minor Hindu girl in Kirti Nagar town of Tehri Garhwal district. That case, registered under the Uttarakhand Freedom of Religion Act and POCSO, had sparked widespread protests and led to the arrest of Salman and his brother. The minor girl in that case was later recovered from Punjab.

Local BJP MLA Kishore Upadhyay, speaking to reporters, said: “The recurrence of such incidents involving migrants from specific districts of Uttar Pradesh targeting minor girls in our hill districts is deeply worrying. I have written to Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami requesting a special verification drive for all migrant traders and workers in the district, and stricter background checks before issuing trade licences.”

The district police have confirmed that they are investigating possible links between the two cases, particularly given the common geographical origin of both accused and the similar modus operandi — targeting minor Hindu girls at commercial establishments.

Ongoing Developments

The next hearing in the case is scheduled for July 10 at the CJM court, where the prosecution is expected to file a chargesheet within the mandatory 60-day period under POCSO. Meanwhile, the victim continues to receive counselling at the District Hospital’s One Stop Centre (Sakhi Kendra), and her family has been provided police protection.