The Jharkhand High Court on Friday ordered the government to explain the circumstances under which a Class 12 girl, who was allegedly burnt to death for refusing a man’s help, was brought from Dumka to Ranchi for treatment. After hearing the suo moto PIL, a division bench of Chief Justice Ravi Ranjan and Justice Sujit Narayan Prasad directed DGP Neeraj Sinha to inform the court about the severity of his burns. The girl was allegedly set on fire by one Shahrukh on August 23 for rejecting his advances. She succumbed to her injuries on August 28, causing widespread outrage. The distance between Dumka and Deoghar is 60 km while the distance between Dumka and Ranchi is 290 km.
After the incident, the girl was admitted to a local hospital from where she was referred to Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Ranchi. There she succumbed to her injuries. According to him, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) will write to the Jharkhand government to recommend an investigation by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). Police say the victim was 19 years old, while her family says she was 16.
The Committee for the Protection of Children (CWC) in Dumka also recommended that sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses Act (POCSO) should be added to the FIR as the girl was a minor. During his visit to Dumka last month, Kanoongo claimed that the local police were unable to investigate the case, alleging that the investigation was flawed. The ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) had earlier said that the NCPCR is a statutory body. “Let her express her opinion,” said party spokesperson Supriya Bhattacharya. The killing sparked widespread outrage as the opposition BJP attacked the government for the way the investigation was conducted.
