“Police will strict legal steps to ensure justice,” said Chief Minister Soren. (Representative Image)
Ranchi:
The body of a 14-year-old tribal girl, who was pregnant, was found hanging from a tree in a village in Jharkhand’s Dumka district on Friday, and a man who allegedly had raped her and eventually killed her has been arrested, police said today.
Dumka recently saw a similar case in which a stalker set a girl on fire.
In the latest case, district police officer Sudarshan Prasad Mandal said the accused, Armaan Ansari, will be presented in court tomorrow. He is charged with rape and murder besides sections of the SC/ST Act and POCSO Act.
She used to work as a labourer in Dumka — she is from Ranishwar, 40 km from the town — and had met the accused, also a construction worker, during the course of work. She would at times stay with a relative in a village near Dumka, Sriamda, where the body was found. The post-mortem examination revealed she was pregnant.
Chief Minister Hemant Soren has taken note. “I am deeply saddened by the incident in Dumka… The accused has been arrested and I have directed Dumka Police to take strict legal steps,” he tweeted, “May God give peace to the departed daughter and give strength to the bereaved family.”
Attacking Mr Soren, BJP’s former chief minister Raghubar Das said in a Twitter post, “Pay attention in Jharkhand when you get time from resort politics.”
As Mr Soren faces possible disqualification over a getting a mining contract while in office, MLAs of the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha-Congress coalition were on August 30 taken to a resort in Raipur, capital of Congress-ruled Chhattisgarh.
JMM spokesperson Supriya Bhattacharya told news agency PTI that the party will give a reaction to the tribal girl’s death on Sunday.
BJP leaders have also said if the probe isn’t done “properly”, it should be given to central government agencies.
This incident follows one on August 23, when a man allegedly poured petrol on a 16-year-old girl from outside the window of her room when she was sleeping, and set her on fire. The teenager, who reportedly had spurned his advances, died of the injuries on August 28. That same day, a 15-year-old tribal girl was raped allegedly by a 26-year-old man after barging into her house in Ranchi. Accused in both cases were arrested.
