UP officer who raped 10yo Dalit girl and agoat tied at her house found dead in jail

Meerut: A 59-year-old assistant development officer (ADO) in the agriculture department in Bulandshahr's Shikarpur block, who was accused of raping a 10-year-old girl and then a goat tied at her house in 2024, died of "cardiac arrest" in jail on Thursday, which happened to be his birthday. The case was scheduled for court hearing on Jan 6."The accused was in prison for almost a year. He was a heart patient and was undergoing treatment in Delhi and Meerut while in judicial custody. He complained of chest discomfort yesterday in prison and died on the way to hospital. His autopsy report has confirmed death due to cardiac arrest, and the body has been handed over to his family," jailor, Ashok Kumar, said on Friday.The crime dates back to Aug 13, last year, when the ADO reached a Dalit man's house for an inspection. Finding his young daughter alone at home, he forcibly dragged her to a room and sexually assaulted her. Before leaving, he also had unnatural sex with a goat tied inside her home and a neighbour caught the barbaric act in his phone camera.The accused was later arrested and an FIR under BNS section 65 (2) (rape on a woman under 12 years), section 3 (2)(5) of SC/ST Act, section 5M/6 of Pocso Act and section 11 of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act were registered against him. He remained in jail after the court rejected his bail plea.ADGC Varun Kaushik said, "His crime was heinous. Fourteen witnesses have testified in court until now. The girl had identified the accused in court. A medical examination of the goat was also conducted, which confirmed the assault. We presented strong evidence in court to prove him guilty."