Gujarat: Man Thrashed For Rape Attempt On Minor; Dies In Hospital

In Gujarat's Surat district, a 24-year-old succumbed to his injuries after being thrashed by a group of people for his alleged attempt to rape a minor.

The accused, Kalpesh Vasava, died at Surat Civil Hospital late on Monday night, informed an official. 

According to the police, a group of people had attacked Vasava after a girl he had allegedly attempted to rape raised an alarm at Kathwada village in Surat's Mangrol taluka on February 26.

Videos of the attack surfaced on social media, in which Vasava can be seen lying on his back with his hands tied to an iron stair, pleading with a man to stop thrashing him, it was stated.

An FIR has been lodged against four persons under sections 302 (murder), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and other relevant provisions of the IPC and the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, said an official of Kosamba police station.

No arrests have been made with regard to the attack, he said.

Vasava had allegedly raped the minor thrice in the past and was trying to rape her again after finding her alone in a room behind a farm.

After the February 26 incident, the police had arrested Vasava under section 376 (rape) of the IPC and provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

He was lodged at Lajpore Central Jail in Surat where his health deteriorated, following which he was shifted to the civil hospital, the official said.

With PTI Inputs