RANCHI: A minor girl enroute to a famous temple in Rajrappa was raped by a man near Janiamara forest area of Ramgarh district of Jharkhand on Sunday, October 20. The incident occurred when the girl was on her way to visit the temple and halted for a while near the Janiamara forest.
The minor was travelling along with a friend of her when both of them took a halt near the Janiamara forests only to be troubled by the accused identified as Rahim Ansari who suddenly appeared on the scene and confronted both of them.
The accused Ansari assaulted the victim friends black and blue, coercing him to flee the spot and then forcibly took the minor girl in the forest and raped her subsequently.
Ansari further issued threats to the minor victim girl, warning her not to disclose the incident to anyone before fleeing the spot. Though, the minor girl somehow mustered the courage and reached the Rajrappa police station where she narrated her ordeal before the police.
Acting on swiftly, the police launched a probe into the matter by lodging an FIR on the basis of the statement of the victim girl and apprehended the accused Rahim Ansari on late Sunday’s evening. Ansari was reported to be a habitual offender, who was also accused by a woman for raping her around a year ago.
The accused has been booked under section 65 of the Bhartiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) along with other relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offense (POCSO) Act and was subsequently produced before a court on Monday, October 21 from where he was sent to judicial custody. A medical examination of the minor girl has also been conducted.
It is noteworthy, that incidents pertaining to crime against women and minor girls has witnessed a surge in the state in recent times, making it one of the core issue raised aggressively by the opposition leaders who have been continuously attacking the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) led ruling alliance for failing to contain the crime against women.
Minor girl raped by three accused in Latehar
Notably, in another such incident surfaced from Jharkhand’s latehar district, a minor girl was gang raped by three accused in Mahuadand area on October 12. The heinous act was committed, when the girl was returning after watching Ravan Dahan program with a friend.
There too the perpetrators Waris Khan, Gulzaar Ansari and Yuvraj Kumar stopped the victim girl when she was with her friend near Saint Xavier’s college. The accused thrashed the minor’s friend and subsequently raped the minor girl before fleeing the scene.
The incident came to light after the minor girl narrated the details of the incident to the family members who subsequently lodged a complaint against the accused at Mahuadand police station on October 13. The police arrested all the accused who later confessed about their involvement in the heinous act.
Kidnapping and attempt to rape of minor led to tension in Dumka
In another such incident surfaced lately from Dumka tension erupted in Navadih village after four youths allegedly attempted to rape a minor girl after abducting her from outside of her maternal uncle’s house on October 13.
The incident came to light after the girl’s relative heard the voice of the minor girl from Ajmer Mansuri’s house. The relatives subsequently barged into the house of Mansuri and recovered the girl.
Two of the four accused namely Sarfaraj Ansari and Sarfaraj Mansuri were caught up the villagers while the other two identified as Raju Ansari and Rehan Mansuri succeeded in evading the scene.
The incident triggered tension between the two communities in the village, cautioning the authorities to deploy security personnel in the village in view of preventing any escalation of the situation.
Opposition leaders’ raised concern over law and order situation
Back to back incidents of crime of such nature has also prompted critical reactions from the opposition leaders who have slammed the law and order situation under the incumbent government led by Chief Minister Hemant Soren.
Underscoring the surge in such incidents former Chief Minister of the state and Jharkhand BJP president Babu Lal Marandi has recently remarked that “the incidents of gang rape of minor daughters of tribal and Dalit communities have put the entire state to shame”.
गत दिनों लातेहार और पलामू में आदिवासी और दलित समाज की नाबालिग बेटियों के साथ हुई सामूहिक दुष्कर्म की घटनाओं पूरे प्रदेश को शर्मसार कर दिया है।
झारखंड में आदिवासी और दलित समाज की बेटियां लगातार दुष्कर्म का शिकार बन रहीं हैं। ऐसे शर्मनाक मामलों की पुनरावृत्ति रोकने और… pic.twitter.com/mLAxYjTkGr
— Babulal Marandi (@yourBabulal) October 15, 2024
“Daughters of tribal and Dalit communities are constantly becoming victims of rape in Jharkhand and instead of preventing recurrence of such shameful incidents and punishing the rapists, the Hemant Soren’s government tries to hush up the incidents of rape,” He added.
He further remarked that such incidents are extremely worrying and the failure of the state government to deal with the issue has forced the women of the state to live under the shadow of fear.
It must be noted here,, that the state is set to hold assembly elections scheduled for next month where a tough contest is expected between the JMM led INDIA bloc and BJP led NDA alliance.
