Motihari (Bihar): In a shocking reminder of the Hathras case, a minor girl was allegedly raped in Bihar's East Champaran district, and her body burnt by the accused in the dark of night.
When the victim's family wanted to register a complaint with the police, the local cops, instead of acting swiftly, allegedly did not take the matter seriously. The case was allegedly not registered despite repeated pleas of the aggrieved family.
"When the police didn't register the case, the accused put pressure on us to cremate the body. Late in the night, the body was burnt. When we went to the police to get the complaint registered, we were not heard. Rather, the pressure was created not to complain about the case," the father of the deceased victim said.
ACTION TAKEN AFTER VIDEO OF VICTIM'S FATHER GOES VIRAL
Meanwhile, a video of the victim's father, where he can be heard pleading for justice and action, went viral, after which the local police swung into action only at the instructions of top police officials. Taking into account the negligence, the in-charge of the police station has been suspended.
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"The audio which has gone viral makes clear that SHO Sanjeev Kumar Ranjan has been careless and apathetic in performing his duties. He has been suspended. An FIR will be lodged against him if the evidence is found against him during the investigation," SP Navinchandra Jha said.
INCIDENT TOOK PLACE ON JANUARY 21
The case of rape, murder and burning of the body of the 12-year-old minor girl in Motihari took place on January 21. However, the FIR was only registered on February 2. According to reports, the victim's family is from Nepal and stays in a rented house in Motihari. They are daily wagers.
According to the victim's family, on January 21, when the girl was alone at home, she was allegedly raped. The charge has been levelled against the family members of the landlord. When the girl was being taken to the hospital, she died before treatment there.
According to the complaint, the accused pressured the family to burn the corpse and threatened them if they did not do so.
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A total of 11 people have been named as accused in the case, out of which four accused have been charged with gang rape and murder. At present, two named accused have been arrested. An SIT has been formed to arrest the other accused.
RJD MOUNTS ATTACK ON NITISH
Bihar’s main opposition party RJD has targeted the Bihar government and the police administration over the shocking incident. Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav has described the incident as the 'Hathras tragedy' of Bihar.
"Like what happened in Hathras, a similar heinous incident in Bihar! A 12-year-old girl was brutally murdered and her body was burnt overnight. The father says that the girl was gang-raped. Listen to how the police officers, who are suggesting the accused tips to burn the body in the audio. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has become Alexander of failures," he said in a tweet.
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