By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
Two separate cases of alleged sexual assault involving minor girls have rocked the spiritual town of Rishikesh, with police arresting six accused persons in the past three days, police said on Thursday.
In the first case, Rishikesh police on Monday arrested a 19-year-old man from Haridwar district, identified as Sofiyan, for allegedly luring a 16-year-old girl to a hotel near the old railway station where he sexually assaulted her.
According to police, Sofiyan was arrested on August 31 near a flyover in Haridwar following a tip-off. A Motorola mobile phone recovered from his possession allegedly contained photographs and videos of the minor recorded during the incident.
During the investigation, police also found alleged lapses by the hotel management. The minor was reportedly allowed to enter the hotel without proper identity verification or the required register entry. Police further alleged that the hotel management was aware of the incident but did not inform them.
Investigators also found that the hotel’s CCTV cameras were allegedly switched off when the accused took the girl out of the hotel. Hotel manager Vaibhav Gupta and operator Rahul Agrawal were subsequently detained for questioning and arrested after police said evidence indicated their involvement.
Police have added several provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) to the case. A report has also been sent to the Rishikesh sub-divisional magistrate recommending cancellation of the hotel’s licence under the Sarai Act.
In the second case, police on Wednesday arrested three young men — Shivam alias Shubham, 19, Govind, 21, and Deepak alias DP, 20, for allegedly sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl after luring her and another girl to the IDPL area and giving them alcohol.
According to the complaint filed by the victim’s family, the accused allegedly took advantage of the minor’s intoxicated condition and sexually assaulted her.
Police registered a case under provisions of the BNS and the POCSO Act and formed a team to investigate the incident. During questioning, the three accused allegedly admitted to giving the minor alcohol and sexually assaulting her after she became heavily intoxicated, police said.