The Rajasthan Police on Thursday, 6 July, arrested a 21-year-old Muslim woman teacher in Chennai, days after she allegedly eloped with a 17-year-old Hindu girl who was her student.
The couple, from Sri Dungargarh town in Rajasthan, had posted a video earlier in the week saying they were in a relationship and wanted to be together.
Based on a complaint filed by the minor's family, the police booked the teacher under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO), and her father and two brothers under Sections 363 and 366 (both related to kidnapping and abduction), Section 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code, and sections of the Juvenile Justice Act (JJA).
The 21-year-old has been sent to judicial custody for 15 days.
Speaking to the media, the police said that prima facie, there was no case of forced conversion as alleged by the family of the minor girl.
What Happened?
"When she did not return home on the evening of 30 June from her school, we got worried. We went to her school and found out that not only our daughter but the teacher is also absent from the school. Hence, we came to a point that she has been missing," the family of the minor girl told Outlook.
"Our daughter is a minor and has been brainwashed. Of course, we have seen the video but we don't believe it," they added.
However, in the purported video, the couple have spoken about how they ran away from their family to avoid pressure over their sexuality.
"She did not force me. The only reason I am making this video is to avoid the misunderstanding that the family has created," the minor said.
The 'elopement' has triggered protests in Sri Dungargarh town of Bikaner district with the local right-wing association demanding quick rescue of the Hindu girl and action against her teacher for "forcefully abducting the minor for conversion."
"We informed the family and the people who had been protesting for a long time. They called off the dharna. Further investigation will be done impartially and in accordance with the law," Inspector General (IG) Bikaner Range Om Prakash told Hindustan Times.
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