Police arrested a shopkeeper, charging him with sexual assault after 11 minor girls accused him of inappropriately touching and harassing them, officials said on Thursday.
Satya Prakash, a native of Chopal, has been booked under section 8 (sexual assault) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and arrested from Ghanati near Shimla on Thursday, Shimla Superintendent of Police Sanjeev Kumar Gandhi said.
The girls, all middle school and high school students, alleged that the shopkeeper would harass them whenever they went to his shop in Chopal to buy something, following which authorities of their school lodged a complaint with the police on Wednesday, they said.
He fled Chopal after he found out about the police complaint but was later caught in Ghanahatti. The shopkeeper has a previous criminal history and was earlier convicted of murder, the SP said.
BJP leader Chetan Bragata has demanded strict action against the accused.
In a statement issued here, Bragata said that such incidents in "dev bhoomi" Himachal is a matter of concern, indicating a deteriorating law and order situation in the state.
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