PhD Historian held for rape of 4-year-old girl at Vadodara Wedding

Surat: A four-year-old girl was allegedly raped by an assistant professor, a friend of her father, at a wedding in Vadodara. The girl’s mother filed a complaint, leading to the arrest of the accused, Dr Piyush Anjeria, a resident of Olpad in Surat who claims to be a historian, researcher, and author with a PhD.

The incident reportedly occurred at a party plot on February 2nd during a garba event held as part of the wedding celebrations. The girl, who resides in the Katargam area, had gone to a wedding at her maternal uncle’s place in Vadodara with her parents. The wedding was on the 3rd, and a Raas-Garba event was organised on the 2nd of February. Professor Piyush Anjeria was also present there as a guest. While returning home, the girl complained about pain in her private parts, after which her mother examined her and found signs of injury, revealing the sexual assault. Later, the girl identified the accused from photos, saying that the uncle put his hands in her underwear and injured her. The mother took her to New Civil Hospital, where a medical examination confirmed the assault.

Katargam Police booked the accused for rape under BNS sections 64(1) and 65(2) and violations of the POCSO Act. The case was transferred from Katargam to Varnama police, who have taken the accused into judicial custody. DeshGujarat