Kolkata, Jan 25 : An elderly man has been arrested on charges of raping a minor girl in Cooch Behar district's Mekhliganj area in North Bengal, the police said on Sunday.

The girl studying in Class 6 had gone to the riverbank to collect firewood, where the elderly man, whom she affectionately called grandfather, assaulted her. The matter came to light on Saturday, and based on the complaint lodged by the family of the minor girl, the police arrested the accused person.

According to police sources, the incident occurred on Thursday. A minor girl had gone to the riverbank in Jamaldah in Mekhliganj to collect firewood. It is alleged that a 63-year-old man, Sheimutun Miyan, threatened her with a sharp weapon and then raped her.

A local woman later rescued the girl and took her home. The girl told the media persons, "I was putting up clothes for drying at the riverbank. Then the grandfather called me. He said there was firewood there. After that, he threatened me and raped me."

However, even after several days, the girl's family did not approach the police station. Local sources said that they lacked the courage due to threats from the accused, who is their neighbour. However, later that evening, locals took the victim and her family to the Jamaldah police outpost and a formal written complaint was filed. Following this, the police arrested the accused and took him to the Mekhliganj police station.

"The accused has been arrested, and a case has been registered against him," said a senior officer of Mekhliganj police.

The area also witnessed a protest by the locals on the issue. On Saturday night, the protesters blocked the state highway in Jamaldah by burning tyres and also pelted stones. This brought the area to a standstill for a long time. In the stone pelting, the Mekhliganj police station officer-in-charge, Mohammad Sahbaz, received minor injuries. When the situation spiralled out of control, police used batons to disperse the protesting crowd. Several protesters were also detained by the police.

/IANS