Srinagar, May 16: The Kashmiri schoolgirl whose alleged molestation by a soldier had triggered protests across the Valley, leaving five civilians dead, broke her silence today with an account that accused the jawan of grabbing her hand and police of being no less abusive.

The 16-year-old, who was released last week after nearly a month in "protective" police custody, told a media conference what she had gone through since April 12 and also how the cops had pressured and tutored her into exonerating the armyman.

"They (the policemen) have put my honour at stake to save the army. I will fight for myself and my brothers who sacrificed their lives for my honour," she said, referring to the five persons killed in firing by security forces as they battled violent mobs.

The army had released a video - filmed by the police when she was in their custody - in which the girl, her face blurred, is heard saying the jawan did not molest her and that it was some local youths who had falsely accused her of cosying up to the soldier.

The police had also said she was in their protective custody as she and her family could be attacked by violent mobs.

Today, at the media conference at the office of a human rights group, the girl spoke about what happened on April 12 after she had entered a washroom in the main market in Handwara, around 80km from Srinagar. The girl said the armyman had grabbed her hand as she was leaving the washroom. "I got my hand released and started crying. There were some boys (who rushed towards her) including a neighbour who slapped me," she said.

The girl said some policemen standing nearby took her to a police station. "They treated me in a very uncivilised manner. Every time a policeman entered the room (where she was kept) he would abuse me without telling me what fault I had committed... without realising that I was a minor," she said.

"A police officer... (a sub-inspector) entered the room. I thought he would be decent... I was weeping but he spat at me and abused me.... Later, three masked policemen came in and they asked me to narrate what had happened.... They told me not to reveal it (that she had been molested) before anybody as that would land me and my family in trouble."

All the while Handwara seethed with protests. #The girl said Handwara superintendent of police Ghulam Geelani filmed the video with his mobile after tutoring her to say that there had been no molestation bid. "I pleaded not to leak this video before the media.... But it was leaked," she said.

The police later summoned her parents. Her mother couldn't come because she was ill but her father and aunt came. They were kept in the police station for three days before being shifted to a house in the area for another three days.

The girl's account prompted the rights group Coalition of Civil Society to press for action against the erring army and police officials.

Handwara police chief Geelani refused to comment. "The issue is being investigated by the SIT," he said, referring to a police special investigation team. "All this will come up before it."