By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
Four people, including an Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) leader, have been arrested for allegedly raping a 17-year-old girl in Mukhani area of Nainital district, Uttarakhand on Friday.
According to police, all four accused are members of the alleged ‘ITI gang’, a group known in Haldwani. One of the arrested men, Dheeraj Bisht, had contested the recent students’ union election at MBPG College in Haldwani as the ABVP’s candidate for the president’s post but lost.
The other accused have been identified as Nitin Pal, Ansh Khatri and Himanshu Gouni.
The case came to light after the victim’s family lodged a complaint with the police late Thursday night, alleging that the accused had threatened and intimidated the minor before taking her to a hotel in the Mukhani area, where they allegedly sexually assaulted her.
Taking quick action, SSP Naintal Manjunath T C said the four people were arrested within six hours after the complaint was filed.
The Nainital SSP has sent out a clear message that anti-social elements involved in heinous crimes against girls will not be spared under any circumstances. A zero-tolerance policy will be adopted against such notorious offenders, and the strictest possible legal action will be taken against them.
Such stringent action against crimes committed against women and minor girls in the district will continue in the future as well, he said.