Youths quizzed over Dharamsala ‘rape’

Lalit Mohan

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, May 23

The police have tightened the noose around rumour mongers after the alleged Dharamsala rape case went viral on social media.

The special investigation team (SIT) of the Kangra police today questioned some youths who had shared unverified information on social networking sites about the alleged rape.

The youths were taken into protective custody on the basis of their call detail records and the posts they had shared on Facebook.

“SIT today grilled some youths who were sharing information about the rape incident from Day One,” said said a police official on the condition of anonymity.

All youths are from areas adjoining Dharamsala. “SIT is likely to summon more youths in the process of investigation,” he added.

The police might consider registering an FIR under the Information Technology (IT) Act after gathering concrete evidence.

“There is no such move yet. An FIR may be registered once we have enough evidence,” said investigating officer Shalini Agnihotri.

The police maintained the girl who had complained to the college Principal that her sister had been raped was misguiding SIT.

The police said SIT had interrogated the woman. In her statement to the SIT, she gave some numbers of a woman hailing from Kangra who lived in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh.

SIT verified the numbers and it was found that the Ghaziabad-based woman had shared the numbers with the complainant during a train journey to Delhi in the second week of May.

SIT said the Ghaziabad-based woman had nothing to do with the case and the complainant was trying to mislead investigating agencies.

Meanwhile, a Dharamsala youth, Ankur Chaman, has filed a complaint at the Dharamsala police station against persons for sharing false information.

He alleged that by dragging his name in the alleged rape case on the social media, they had tarnished his image and embarrassed his family.

He alleged that some persons had circulated his name as an accused. He named Akash Sood in the FIR.

Yesterday, Congress workers gave five names to the police, alleging that they had spread rumours in the social media.