Police officials debunked the story of an alleged attack on a high school student by two men at Magodu village in Uttara Kannada on Thursday.
The Uttara Kannada district police said that the wounds on the girl were self-inflicted and that she had attempted to commit suicide but later changed her mind. Contrary to her earlier statement to the police where she blamed two men for attacking her, the girl told counselors and police officials on Sunday that she inflicted the wounds on her palm, reported The Hindu.
The story was doing the rounds on Thursday, just days after violence and protests rocked the coastal district, following the death of a youth Paresh Mesta. As rumours of a fresh stabbing incident spread, tensions continued to prevail in the district.
Hemant Nimbalkar, IGP (Western Range), said that four cases have been booked against those responsible for spreading rumours. “The girl has accepted that she inflicted the wounds on herself. Doctors have also said that the wounds have signs of a hesitation injury mark,” said Nimbalkar.
Residents said that the girl was being harassed by Ganesh Eshwar Naik, a youth in the village. "Kavya walks 8 km from her home for school. A minor boy from Magodu village, used to stop her on the way, insisting that she travel by his car or bike. Kavya was being harassed this way for six months. Kavya brought the matter to the notice of her parents. Her parents, in turn, alerted gram panchayat members and a local leader, who had promised to warn Ganesha," Vinay V Patil, Superintendent of Police, Uttara Kannada said speaking to Deccan Herald.
Police revealed that the girl, under severe mental stress, tried to kill herself and later concocted the story of two men attacking her. “The girl was scared to say that the wounds were self-inflicted. When she was brought to the Honnavar Government Hospital, she repeated what the people assumed. But she told the truth during counselling sessions,” said the police.
The police have booked a case against Ganesh Eshwar Naik for harassing the girl. He is at large.