New Delhi: The UP police on Thursday recorded the statement of a 16-year-old girl, who was sexually assaulted and her mother repeatedly gangraped allegedly by UP minister Gayatri Prajapati and his aides, at the AIIMS. The statement was recorded despite opposition by the family of the girl, admitted to a restricted ward of the hospital, and their lawyer, who accused the state police of “threatening and forcefully” recording the statement.

A DSP rank officer, investigating the matter, reached AIIMS on Thursday and recorded the girl’s statement after seeking permission from the hospital medical superintendent, sources said. The statement was videographed as per the rules under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, they added.

The lawyer representing the girl, Mehmood Pracha, strongly objected to the recording of statement by the police and sought to know on what basis it was being done.

“The police threatened the mother and daughter inside the AIIMS ward, where the girl is admitted. They also snatched their mobile phones. The girl is still in trauma,” he alleged.

“How can they use such force to record her statement?” asked Pracha. Some Delhi police officials were also present at the AIIMS. The UP police had already registered an FIR against Mr Prajapati and his accomplices. The statement of the girl’s mother has already been recorded before a chief metropolitan magistrate in Lucknow. The girl was admitted to AIIMS on February 22.