A horrifying incident of a gruesome murder in Jharkhand’s Ramgarh district sent shockwaves across the region. On the night of January 27, 2025, a tribal woman, Manju Devi, was brutally murdered by a man named Raja Ansari, alias Afsar Ansari, in Chakrawali village under the Gola police station area. The accused, reportedly obsessed with the victim, slit her throat with a knife before fleeing the scene.
This crime eerily mirrors a similar case from August 23, 2022, in Dumka, where a young girl named Ankita was set on fire by Shahrukh Hussain after she rejected his advances. Ankita, who suffered 90 per cent burns, succumbed to her injuries five days later, sparking widespread outrage. The latest incident in Ramgarh follows the same pattern of one-sided love turning into a brutal crime, though the method of killing differs.
According to police reports, Manju Devi’s husband, Kalinder Munda, had taken his family to a fair in Chopa Daru village earlier in the evening. After returning, he went to the Maganpur market in Gola to buy chicken, leaving his wife alone at home. It was during this brief period that Raja Ansari entered the house and carried out the murder. Upon returning, Munda was confronted with the gruesome sight of his wife lying in a pool of blood, her throat slit.
Kalinder Munda, a daily wage labourer, immediately informed the local authorities, prompting police response. The police launched an intensive manhunt under the leadership of Ramgarh SP Ajay Kumar and SDPO Parmeshwar Prasad. Within ten hours, Ansari was apprehended near the Gola-Chopa Daru forest. The police recovered crucial evidence from the accused, including a blood-stained knife, his clothes, shoes, and a mobile phone.
Speaking on the case, SDPO Parmeshwar Prasad confirmed that the accused, Raja Ansari, hails from Cheera Chas village in Bokaro district. He had been harbouring a one-sided affection for Manju Devi and, driven by rejection, resorted to this heinous act.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has seized the incident to criticise the Hemant Soren-led Jharkhand government, claiming that crimes against women, particularly against tribals, have surged in the state. BJP leaders have accused the state administration of failing to ensure the safety of vulnerable communities. Meanwhile, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) has defended the government, attributing the crime to broader law-and-order challenges rather than governance failure.
The case has once again ignited debates on women’s safety and rising crimes in Jharkhand. With opposition parties cornering the government, the focus now shifts to ensuring justice for Manju Devi and preventing such tragic incidents in the future. The accused, Raja Ansari, remains in police custody, and further investigations are underway.
The shocking nature of the crime, coupled with its eerie resemblance to past cases, has left residents of the Ramgarh district in a state of fear and anger.
