The Jharkhand High Court, on the basis of reports published in local newspapers related to the alleged inhuman torture of a 13-year-old tribal girl, took suo-motu cognisance and issued notices to the Chief Secretary, Home Secretary, Welfare Secretary, DGP, IG (CID), Ranchi Deputy Commissioner, Ranchi SSP and SP (CID) directing them to reply by August 17. The tribal minor girl was found with severe injuries and burns all over her body from CID Inspector Umesh Thakur's house under Namkum police station.
A division Bench of Chief Justice Virender Singh and Justice S Chandrasekhar, also directed the Deputy Commissioner to submit a detailed report to the court on or before the next date incorporating all the steps taken by the administration to alleviate the suffering of the minor girl who was subjected to inhuman and cruel torture by the cop and his family.
The court also wanted to know about the further steps, if any, contemplated by the district administration in this regard. The Deputy Commissioner has also been directed by the court to explore as to whether provisions of law attracted in the matter, have been adhered to or not.
Further, the Court directed the Government to pay Rs25,000 to the father of the victim minor girl immediately through the Chief Secretary without prejudice to any other rights or remedies of the victim or her family in any other proceedings.
Notably, the 13-year-old tribal girl who worked as a domestic help was rescued from a CID Inspector's house in the Namkum area of the State Capital on Monday night. The girl was found to have blackened eyes and multiple pus-filled wounds.
The victim, a resident of Sisai block of Gumla was lured from her house with promise of good payment and education opportunity by a trafficker and brought to the CID inspector Umesh Thakur in November, 2015.
The girl had burn marks all over her body and she alleged that her employers Umesh Thakur and Madhuri Thakur used to burn her with a hot knife. She also had a huge wound on her head which was filled with pus and blackened eyes and wound on her ears which was a result of repeated slaps.
The victim also alleged that the wife of the CID inspector used to kick her around the house, pull her hair, break her nails and used to give her only dry chapatis to eat.
An FIR was lodged at Namkum police station against Thakur, his wife Madhuri Thakur and brother in law Chandan Thakur under Juvenile Justice Act, Child labour (prohibition and regulation) Act and Indian Penal Code.
Thakur seems to be on training and is out of station while his wife and brother-in-law managed to escape after the rescue. Meanwhile, the CID Inspector has also been suspended by the ADG (CID).
CID IG Sampat Meena has also formed a committee headed by CID SP Jaya Roy and two lady officers Abha Verma and Taramani Baxla to investigate the matter.