A man has been arrested by Uttar Pradesh Police for chopping off the hand of a 15-year-old schoolgirl who had reportedly been rebuffing him for the past few days.
The incident took place in Lakhimpur Kheri district of Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday, in full public view of a busy marketplace. It was only when the accused was trying to chop off the girl's other hand that the local mob intervened.
Uttar Pradesh seems to be turning into the origin of several such grisly stories in recent times. Only a few days ago a policeman and a village head had been accused of gang-raping another teenager, this time when she had gone out to relieve herself in the fields. The girl's father had died after hearing of his daughter's ordeal.
Stalker turns attacker
The victim, a student of Class 9, was reportedly being stalked by the accused — identified as one Vinod Chaurasia — for several days, and had even complained to her parents about him, according to a Times of India report. She had also rejected his advances several times.
The girl was traveling through a busy marketplace in the Fatehpur Saidri area on Wednesday when Chaurasia spotted him and tried to proposition her once again. She rejected it outright.
Chaurasia was apparently angered by the public humiliation resulting from the rejection and chased the girl through the market with a sword. When he finally caught up to her, he pinned her to the ground and started hacking away at one of her arms.
"One of her hands fell off, while the man kept striking at her other hand," eyewitness Akhilesh Rastogi was quoted by the ToI report as saying.
Mob to the rescue
It was then that a mob of 200-300 people intervened, pulling Chaurasia off the victim. They later handed over to the police. The mob "saved the girl from certain death," said Rastogi.
The girl was first taken to the Kheri district hospital and later shifted to Lucknow. "She had lost a lot of blood and she was critical. That's why she was sent to Lucknow for treatment," said a doctor at the district hospital.
Kheri Superintendent of Police PS Chinappa was quoted by the ToI report as saying: "Our priority is the health of the girl, who is in a serious condition. Once her condition improves, we will record her statement, following which the motive of the attack can be clearly ascertained."
