Kurukshetra/Karnal, May 6
Villagers on Friday laid siege to the Ambala-Delhi NH-1 near Pipli for over five-and-a-half hours to protest against the alleged rape and murder of a 15-year-old owing to the “insensitive and indifferent” attitude of the police.

Irate kin of the victim and villagers brought her body and placed it on the National Highway demanding a CBI probe and suspension of SP Sultan Singh. Blaming the police’s “apathetic, unconcerned and callous” attitude for the deceased pre-medical student’s plight, protesters lifted the blockade only after the SHO was shifted to the Police Lines and the administration assured strict action against erring police personnel and early arrest of the culprits.

The victim, a resident of Kurukshetra, was allegedly found murdered and gangraped near Rambha village on the Karnal-Yamunanagar road in Karnal yesterday night. Some unidentified persons in a Scorpio SUV reportedly abducted her from Kurukshetra’s Sector 3 market on Wednesday night while she was on her way to pick up her father on her scooter.

Kunal Singh, the victim’s brother, said that they had reported the matter to the police on Wednesday itself but the police did not act. “What can be done at night?

You come tomorrow morning. When we tried to approach SP Sultan Singh, we were told that he was not at home, though he was there,” Kunal alleged. “Had the police acted promptly and looked for the culprits, my sister could have been safe and alive,” he said.

Stating that some persons had threatened the family some months ago, Kunal said that they suspected their hand in the matter.

IG Rohtak range KK Sindhu, who rushed to Kurukshetra to defuse the situation, said that the SIM card of the victim’s phone had led them to one person, who has been picked up for interrogation. “Investigations are on and the other culprits would be identified and arrested soon,” he said. When asked about the police’s “delay” in acting on the complaint, he assured that the policemen found guilty of negligence would be punished.

Meanwhile, hundreds of vehicles were stranded through the day putting commuters to great inconvenience even as unsuccessful attempts were made to divert traffic through Shahbad and other narrow link roads.

Tanvi, who was on her way to Delhi, said that it took them over two-and-a-half hours to touch NH1 after being diverted from Shahbad because of bad roads and poor signage.