Rape of a minor girl rocked the State capital on Thursday with hundreds of angry residents laid siege to the Bariatu police station and blocked the busy Bariatu-Booty More road for three hours to protest the gruesome incident, forcing the police to arrest one accused in the case.
The 12-year old school girl, resident of Tetartoli, a tribal hamlet, was allegedly raped on Wednesday evening when she ventured out of her house to visit a nearby shop. The victim in her statement to police alleged that she was forcibly picked up by the accused who took her to a secluded place and raped her. The accused were audacious enough to visit the rape survivor’s home and threatened her father not to report the case to the police or be ready to face the consequences.
The Bariatu police based on the statement of the victim arrested one Goldi Khan from Tetartoli on Thursday morning. According to sources, Goldi has accepted his involvement in the case. He is said to be a close acquaintance of the victim’s family and enjoyed good relations with the parents of the girl.
Notably, the police claimed to have taken another person in custody. However, it refused to part with details of the person rounded up. Police is yet to get a copy of medical report confirming the incident.
“Based on the statement of Goldi, we have taken another person in custody but unless the girl identifies the person, we cannot disclose his identity. The girl is not in a condition to identify the culprit so we have to wait until then,” said DSP Sadar, Satya Vir Singh.
The victim is undergoing treatment at Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) and her condition is slowly becoming normal. The medical report is still awaited. A case has been registered by the Bariatu Police under Section 376(G) IPC- related to gang rape- besides invoking the Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act against the accused in the case. The sections imposed in the case are non-bailable.
Earlier, the residents of Tetartoli blocked Bariatu Road stalling movement of traffic for more than three hours and damaged vehicles passing by. The mob allegedly pelted stone on the police forcing them to use mild force to disperse the crowd. The protesters also alleged that the victim’s family is being pressurized by the family of the accused, Goldi Khan, but the police demanded a written complaint to initiate any action.
Meanwhile, the residents of Tetartoli demanded stern action against the other culprit in the case. The protestors also demanded compensation for the victim who hails from a poor family besides rehabilitation of the girl and suspending Bariatu PS in-charge with immediate effect. While the father of the girl is said to be jobless, mother earns the bread by working as insurance agent.
Ironically, the MlAs taking part in the winter session of the Assembly apparently forgot to raise the issue in the House. Senior BJP leader Raghubar Das assured that the party will raise the issue strongly in the House tomorrow. However, the parties across the spectrum condemned the incident when the Pioneer reached out to them for reaction. The Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (JVM) termed the incident a failure of the state machinery to protect people of the state. However the party demanded quick disposal of the case to send a message to the culprits.
“Nobody is safe in the State. Women are the most vulnerable section of the society. Yet we want the government to bring the culprits to book,” said JVM leader Pradeep Yadav. While demanding quick action on the matter the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) expressed concerns over alleged interference to influence the police. “We have heard that the police is being influenced somewhere. This if true would subvert justice,” maintained BJP spokesperson Pradeep Sinha.
Notwithstanding opposition’s barb, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) dismissed charges of failure on the part of the government in providing security to all especially women. The party, however, claimed that the government is doing everything it can to ensure justice to the victim. “Chief Minister has taken cognizance of the incident and instructions have been issued to the police administration,” said JMM spokesperson Vinod Pandey.
The Congress also jumped the protest bandwagon and organized a silent march.