Minor's gang-rape: Army promises strict action

The army on Wednesday promised "strict disciplinary action" against two soldiers who allegedly gang-raped a minor girl on a moving train.

Soldier Manjrish Tripathi has been arrested and was remanded to seven days' police custody on Tuesday and a manhunt has been launched for the two other armymen who are absconding.

The 14-year-old survivor, hailing from Dum Dum in North 24 Parganas district, was allegedly raped by the two army men after she was forced to drink alcohol inside a reserved military compartment of the Howrah-Amritsar Express.

The girl, who boarded the train from Howrah on her way to Ludhiana, was rescued in a joint effort by Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Government Railway Police (GRP) personnel at Madhupur station in Jharkhand on Monday.

In a press communique, the army strongly condemned the alleged rape and reiterated that such indisciplined behaviour by any soldier will not be tolerated.

"Strict disciplinary action would be taken against soldiers, if involved in such acts," it said.

The GRP is looking for the absconding duo.

"Video footages of the compartment where the incident happened have been shared with the army and we are very confident of arresting them soon," a top GRP officer said.

A medical examination conducted on the girl confirmed rape.

The girl was rescued after the GRP received a complaint from her father that she had fled home and boarded the train.

According to the family, the girl had left her house unannounced to meet a man in Ludhiana whom she had befriended on a social networking site.