Dattapukur (North 24 Parganas): A man in his forties has been arrested in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district for allegedly sexually assaulting a three-and-a-half-year-old girl, police said on Saturday. The accused, identified by police as Arjun Sardar, had reportedly visited a relative's house in Dattapukur, where he allegedly took the child to the roof of a neighbouring house and assaulted her. The child is not being named, in line with the law protecting minor victims.

Source: IANS via BizzBuzz

The alleged incident took place on Thursday and came to light on Friday, triggering tension in the area, IANS reported. According to police, the child's family has been living in Subhashnagar in a rented house under the Nilganj outpost of Dattapukur police station for the last three months. Nation Press also reported the arrest on Saturday in its West Bengal crime coverage.

Source: Nation Press

Local residents said they first went to file a complaint at the Nilganj outpost but alleged that police initially refused to register it. A case was subsequently registered against the accused under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, and an investigation was launched. Police arrested the accused on Friday night.

Police said the accused confessed to the crime during interrogation — a claim made by the police that remains to be tested in court. He was produced before the Barasat court on Saturday, and police sought his custody for further investigation. The allegations have not been proved, and the accused is entitled to the presumption of innocence.

The child was taken to Barasat Medical College and Hospital for a medical examination. Local residents alleged that the examination was delayed for several hours because female doctors were unavailable, which sparked protests at the hospital; the situation was later brought under control, IANS reported. What happens next depends on the court's decision on police custody and the progress of the POCSO investigation.