The mosque committee he served has said it has verified the allegations of assault.
Kerala Police have filed an FIR against a Muslim cleric for allegedly sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl. Imam Shafeeq Al Qasimi had allegedly assaulted the girl in a forest area last week, and had been removed from his religious duties by the All India Imams Council.
Police told news agency PTI that the FIR had been registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, based on a statement from the mosque committee of the Tholicode Muslim Jamath mosque. A representative of the mosque committee told The News Minute that it had carried out its own inquiries into the allegation and concluded that the Imam may have assaulted others at the same location.
Malayalam news media had reported last week that a 15-year-old school-going had been sexually assaulted by the Imam in a forest area near Vithura, about 35 km from Thiruvananthapuram. He had reportedly lured the girl into his car and then taken her to the secluded area.
Local women workers noticed the car parked suspiciously and approached to investigate. The Imam reportedly told the women that the girl was his wife. When the women questioned how a 15-year-old could be his wife, he got flustered, screamed at them and tried to get away. Local boys chased his car. The representative of the mosque committee said the account of the women has been verified.
However, there has been no formal complaint from the victim or her family. However, the law that does not necessarily require them to file a complaint, which can be done by witnesses or any other third party with knowledge of the sexual assault.
The local women who confronted the Imam also said that the victim was crying and pleaded with them not to notify police of the assault. She was taken to a shelter home for safety, and later returned home with her family.
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