VIJAY DEO JHA
Ranchi, Aug 29: Dumka girl Ankita Kumari Singh who was set on fire by stalker Shahrukh Hussain and Chhotu Khan on August 23 was a minor and not a major as claimed by the police and mentioned in the FIR.
The Lagatar24.com is in the possession of her matriculation certificate where her date of birth is mentioned as November 26, 2006. According to this official document, she is aged around 16 years and not 19 years. However, the Dumka police claimed that the deceased mentioned herself as 19 years old in the statement given before the magistrate.
The revelation of the actual age of the victim is set to twist this case. A former member of the district child welfare committee said that it was a straight case of POCSO Act. “The accused persons were stalking her which is nothing but a kind of sexual harassment. The definition of sexual harassment is very wide. If the investigation is done sincerely and minutely the accused must be tried under provisions of POCSO Act other than IPC,” said the former member.
Dr Nishikant Dubey (@nishikant_dubey) tweeted at 3:43 pm on Mon, Aug 29, 2022:
(https://twitter.com/
Meanwhile, the incident has left people and politicians agitated. Governor Ramesh Bais spoke to the family members of Ankita and expressed his annoyance over the poor law and order conditions in Jharkhand.
Former Chief Minister and BJP senior Babulal Marandi reached Dumka to meet family. “The victim was a minor but the police presented him as a major. This is not an ordinary thing, it was done by DSP Noor Mustafa to save accused Shahrukh Hussain. The victim stated about Chhotu Khan. But no action was taken. Police arrested her only when she died. The DSP who is politically well connected has a dubious track record. Few months back he helped an accused Julfikar Bhutto in SC ST Prevention of Atrocities Act,” said Babulal Marandi.
