PATNA: Plucking a mango from a nearby orchard proved costly for an 11-year-old girl who was gang raped and subsequently killed by five youths in Bihar’s Sitamarhi district, police said on Wednesday.
The incident which tooj place on May 31, came to light on June 1 when the victim’s family lodged a formal complaint about the girl's disappearance of since the previous evening. Nanpur police station in Sitamarhi district registered a case and started investigation.
Amit Ranjan, Superintendent of Police (SP), Sitamarhi said that a special investigation team (SIT) was formed under leadership of deputy SP, Pupri to solve the case. During investigation it came to light that five youths had an altercation with the girl over plucking a mango from an orchard.
The youths brutally assaulted her, took her to a nearby under-construction building and raped her. During sexual assault, the girl’s condition deteriorated, and she died. Thereafter, the offenders hanged her body with the roof of the building to make it appear as a case of suicide.
The accused identified as Satyam Kumar, Ranvir Kumar, Harshvardhan Kumar, Ajit Kumar and Ravi Kumar, all residents of Chatgaura under Nanpur police station limits were arrested. During interrogation, the accused confessed to the crime.
SP Amit Ranjan said that the investigating officer of the case has been told to collect scientific evidence against the accused. “Since all the accused have been arrested, we will recommend the case for speedy trial. Chargesheet will be filed in the case at the earliest,” he added.
The incident has sparked off tension at the village. Residents have demanded stern action against all the accused. “The accused should be hanged,” a close relative of the victim told local journalists at Sitamarhi sadar hospital where postmortem of the body was conducted.
Spurt in rape cases in Bihar
Bihar has witnessed a series of rape incidents in recent past. At least three incidents of sexual assault and murder were reported from Muzaffarpur district in the past one week alone. Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Prasad Yadav visited Turki in Muzaffarpur to meet family members of one of the victims on Tuesday.
A nine-year-old girl was raped and attacked with a knife by the accused at a village under Kudhani police station on May 26. The victim was admitted to Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH) from where she was referred to Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) on Saturday.
The victim had to wait for more than four hours in an ambulance as bed was not available in the PMCH. The victim’s uncle alleged that the delay in treatment led to her death on Sunday morning. The alleged hospital administration’s apathy came under sharp criticism.
On Tuesday, state health department removed deputy superintendent of PMCH Dr Abhijeet Singh and Dr Kumari Vibha, superintendent of SKMCH, for their negligence. Dr Kumari Vibha has been put under suspension.
Meanwhile, state health minister Mangal Pandey said that a three-member committee has been constituted to look into the allegations of the rape victim’s family. “Further action will be initiated on the basis of the report,” Pandey told the media.
The three-member committee comprising Dr. Aryan Choudhary, Dr.B K Singh and Dr. Pramod Kumar have been asked to submit their report at the earliest. The team will investigate events both at SKMCH, Muzaffarpur and PMCH in the state capital.
