Nashik:A 40-year-oldkirtankarfromParnertalukainAhilyanagarwas arrested on Sunday for allegedly sexually abusing a 17-year-old girl for five years.The Parner police filed a case against the man, who delivers religious discourse, under relevant sections ofBNSand Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act based on the girl’s complaint. A local court on Sunday remanded him in police custody till March 20.The incident came to light on March 10, when the girl returned home sobbing from thekirtankar’sresidence with burn marks on her hands and face. When her family tried to find out what happened, she remained silent. Her brother later took her to the house of some relatives living 5km away, where she finally confided her ordeal on Saturday.According to police, the girl told them that the kirtankar had been sexually assaulting her for five years but she had remained silent as he had threatened her. Claiming that he had already committed many crimes, he reportedly told her that he would kill her parents as well if she told anyone about the assault, a police officer said.On March 10, he allegedly beat her up with a bamboo stick and inflicted burns on her hands and face with a hot object as she did not go to his house as soon as he called her. Police said the man, who runs a school for religious discourse and has been living in the village for 10 years, was known to the girl’s family.After she narrated the incident, her family took her to the police station to file a complaint. InspectorSantoshKhedkarsaid the suspect was picked up from his house that same night, and an FIR was registered.Assistant police inspectorRanjitMarag, who is investigating the case, said the suspect was also angry because he learned the girl was likely to get married to a relative.
