A cruel case of irony marked the CM Janta Darbar on Wednesday week when a rape victim approached Agriculture Minister Ranchir Singh holding the public court seeking justice against her molesters, one of whom became a Panchayati Raj Institution representative after the Elections last year.
Coming from Rangamati village, located around 20 km from State capital, Durga (name changed) broke out in tears as she recounted her story to Singh and Health Minister Ramchadra Chandravanshi at Janta Darbar on Wednesday.
“I was in my brother-in-law’s house in lipiya village in Ramgarh when one night the five culprits kicked down the door of the house and raped me. Police officials at Gola police station did not file a case for months, and now that they have, no arrests have been made yet,” she told media persons after meeting the ministers.
Apprehended by the villagers of lipiya, the culprits – Rajkumar Ganjhu, Dinesh Ganjhu, Mangra Bhokta, lekwa Bhokta and Jugal Gawar – confessed to the heinous crime but fled to Rangamati when the villagers demanded that they answer for their crimes, she said.
“We were turned down by Gola police station’s Officer in-Charge, Balkrishna Bhagat when we went there to file a case after the incident on August 06, 2013. The matter went to court and FIR was filed later in the case on the court’s recommendation,” said Tulsi Ganjhu, Durga’s host on the fateful night.
In the FIR filed on May 08, 2014, Rajkumar and his accomplices have been booked under Sections 376 (rape), 354 (assault to women with intent to outrage her modesty), 388 (extortion by threat of accusation punishable by death or life imprisonment) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention).
He even had his property attached in relation to this case, but he still contested in the Panchayat elections-2015 and won, added Tulsi. He could not tell how this came to pass but claimed that Rajkumar is using his position to threaten his sister-in-law.
No action has been taken against the culprits yet and they are pressuring me for the past two years, stated Durga. listening to her complaints, Health Minister called up Superintendent of Police, Ramgarh M Tamilvanan and instructed lawful action to be taken against culprits involved in the case.
The ministers attended to 97 complaints from all over Jharkhand pertaining to land disputes, negligence of law enforcement agencies and aid for educational and medical purposes.