Man, Held for Sexual Assaulting Girl, Allegedly Thrashed by Prison Guards in Bengal

Burdwan, Dec 10 (PTI) A man, arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a nine-year-old girl in West Bengal's Purba Bardhaman district, was stripped and thrashed by prison guards, his lawyer told a special court, following which the judge sought a report from jail authorities.

The girl had gone to the man's shop in Jamalpur police station area of the district to buy grocery items on December 5, when he allegedly assaulted her.

The accused was arrested on Saturday and produced before the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate, which then sent him to judicial custody and directed that he be presented before the special POCSO court in the district on Monday.

Around 8 pm on Sunday, however, he was taken out of his cell in the prison, stripped and thrashed with iron rods by five-six guards, his lawyer alleged on Monday before the special POCSO court.

The accused, who has been charged under sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, sustained serious injuries in the incident, the lawyer said.

Following the allegations, POCSO court judge Syed Niazuddin Azad expressed his anger and sought a report from the jail superintendent.

He also directed the jail superintendent to be present before the court on Thursday to provide an explanation.

Judge Azad further directed the jail authorities to take care of his medical needs.

The incident has also been reported to the DIG of the state's prisons department.

It came days after four people, accused in the rape and murder of a 25-year-old woman veterinarian in Hyderabad, were killed in an encounter with police.

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