DUMKA (Jharkhand): Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Sunday responded insensitively to the death of a minor girl who was found hanging from a tree in Dumka district, saying "accidents happen. Where do they not occur?"
The body of a teenage girl was found hanging from a tree in a field in Dumka on Saturday.
Earlier, the Jharkhand Police had registered a case of rape and murder against the accused in the case.
"Rape and murder case registered under the Protection of Children Against Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and SC/ST Act. Accused Armaan Ansari was arrested. We want to collect evidence and file chargesheet soon," Amber Lakra, Superintendent of Police, Dumka said.
The case pertains to the incident when a 14-year-old tribal girl was found hanging from a tree.
As per the reports, the girl was allegedly sexually exploited by a man on the pretext of marriage and was raped, killed, and hanged from the tree in Dumka.
"Hanging body of a girl found in Dumka. She was hanging by a tree. One accused has been arrested. The investigation is underway. All facts and other things are being ascertained," Dumka Police had said on Saturday.
This came days after another minor girl was set ablaze in the region by one Shahrukh Moin on August 23. The girl had succumbed to her injuries on August 28.
However, two unfortunate incidents have also taken a political turn as BJP MP Nishikant Dubey slammed the Hemant Soren government in Jharkhand for the growing atrocities on Dalit girls and said that "underage Dalits and tribal girls are being exploited and the government is sleeping."
Taking to Twitter, Dubey also claimed that the minor girl was 3-months pregnant.
"From the news received from the relatives of the minor girl in Dumka, it appears that the girl was 3 months pregnant. This should be investigated. "Grooming gangs" are active in Jharkhand, in which Bangladeshi Muslim boys, are exploiting underage Dalits and tribal girls and the Soren government is sleeping," Dubey said in a tweet in Hindi.