A 16-year-old girl was in Sikkim on a tour and was raped by a taxi driver.
Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Chamling today asked the police to strictly monitor and curb crimes against women following the rape of a Kolkata girl by a taxi driver in north Sikkim on the night of May 15.
Expressing deep regret over the incident which is rare in the tourist-friendly state, the chief minister said, "The rapist who sexually assaulted the tourist from Kolkata must be punished and the police should expose him openly in society."
The girl, aged 16 years, was on a tour to Sikkim along with her two friends after the end of the class X board examinations in West Bengal, the police said. They hired a taxi in Gangtok driven by Prem Rai for sightseeing. They reached Tashi View Point, 5 kms from Gangtok towards north Sikkim, where the driver, aged 22 years, offered them snack and water suspectedly laced.
The police said that sometime after this the three felt drowsy. Taking advantage of their condition, the driver started molesting a student who was seated beside him. When the other two girls tried to stop him, they were hit by a heavy object.
The two girls got down and screamed for help while running towards Phodong and also called their parents and relatives. They reported the matter with the Gangtok Sadar Thana. A search for the girl and the vehicle was launched sloon after. The police spotted the the car speeding along the North highway and stopped it. The girl was found on the back seat of the car in unconscious condition.
The police said that the car, an Alto bearing the number plate SK 01 T 1985, was seized. The driver was later arrested. The victim bearing injury marks on her body was admitted to a hospital in Gangtok for a medical test, where the rape was confirmed.
The cab driver has been charged under Section 376 (Rape) of the IPC. He was produced in a court which sent him to seven days in judicial remand. A case under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act 2012 has also been registered against the driver, SDPO Mangan, Palden Bhutia said.
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