On May 30, a 9-year old Dalit girl was allegedly raped by a 28-year old upper-caste man from the Rajput community, named Nitin Singh Pawar. The incident took place in Nainbagh area of Tehri district, Uttarakhand. The accused was arrested on May 31 and booked under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, Section 376 (rape) and other relevant sections of SC/ST Act. Notably, the victim’s mother has alleged that the local panchayat forced her family to not report the crime to the police.