Kolkata Police have arrested an Indian Army jawan over allegations that he sexually assaulted an Army officer’s minor daughter inside a military residential complex in Kolkata. The arrest followed a complaint by the girl’s mother, police said. The jawan, reportedly assigned to security duty at the complex, was taken into custody by Hastings Police Station on Sunday night.
Alleged incident and police account
Police said the alleged incident occurred on the afternoon of November 5. The girl, reportedly 11 years old, had gone to a park within the complex to play with other children.
The accused allegedly approached the child and made inappropriate advances. When she resisted, he is alleged to have picked her up forcibly and sexually assaulted her. Some local media reports have identified the jawan as Mohit Pathan; that identification has not been confirmed in the source account.
Police said the girl sustained injuries to her lips. Some reports alleged that the accused bit her lips. She screamed for help, and the jawan allegedly let her go.
Security personnel near the park went to the spot after hearing her cries. The girl reportedly told them what had happened before informing her mother, who later lodged a formal complaint with police.
Investigation and court proceedings
Kolkata Police examined CCTV footage from the residential complex and recorded statements from security personnel who were near the park at the time of the alleged incident. Police said the footage and witness statements helped them identify the accused, who was arrested on Sunday night.
The girl was taken to SSKM Hospital in Kolkata for a medical examination. Police have also seized the clothes she was wearing at the time for forensic examination.
The accused was produced before a city court, reportedly Bankshall Court, which remanded him to police custody for further questioning.
Investigators are examining how the jawan allegedly reached the park while reportedly assigned security duties elsewhere in the complex. Because the complainant is a minor, police are also considering the applicability of relevant provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
Army response and status of the case
The Indian Army had not issued an official statement about the incident as of the source report. Separate departmental action against the jawan may be considered depending on the investigation’s findings.
Police said their investigation is continuing, including examination of forensic evidence, CCTV recordings and witness statements. The allegations remain under investigation, and no court has found the accused guilty.
