Gondal, Jul 10 (IANS): A youth, who was accused of sexually harassing a girl around a year ago, was allegedly stabbed to death by the girl's father in Gujarat's Gondal town.

The incident happened on Sunday near Char Dukan when the victim, Vijay Batala, was riding as a pillion passenger on a motorcycle driven by his friend, Deep Malaviya, on their way home.

According to the FIR registered at Gondal town police station, the girl's father, an auto-rickshaw driver, called out to Batala by name, causing the two friends to stop. The auto-rickshaw driver then allegedly stabbed Batala in the chest before fleeing the scene, leaving his vehicle behind.

Batala, who used to work as a goods carriage driver, was immediately rushed to a private hospital and later transferred to a government hospital where he was pronounced dead upon arrival. Following a complaint lodged by Batala's father, the police booked the auto-rickshaw driver for murder and subsequently arrested him a few hours later.

The auto-rickshaw driver had previously filed a complaint against Batala and his friends Aakash, Govind, Hito, and others about a year ago, accusing them of sexually harassing his daughter.

During preliminary questioning after his arrest, the auto-rickshaw driver admitted to having frequent arguments with Batala. However, in the complaint filed by Batala's father, he claimed that the auto-rickshaw driver had falsely accused his son and others of sexual harassment. The matter was under investigation.