RAJ KUMAR
Ranchi, Feb. 12: The panchayat election is due for a long time in Jharkhand but proceedings by Panchayats are going abated in Jharkhand. The grass-root level system of the administration is also handling criminal cases.
This came to the fore after villagers today staged a demonstration following the death of the father of two kids, Dinesh Singh alias Dinu, after facing corporal punishment pronounced by the Panchayat at Hesatu village, about 100km from Jharkhand capital under Herhanj police station area of Latehar district.
Sharing a picture of the demonstration, a locality resident informed Lagatar 24.com that Dinu died on the same Thursday night when he was brutally beaten up in the Panchayat.
Briefing the matter the villager said: “Suryamani Devi, who is the wife of the deceased, informed the police that her husband was beaten for having an illicit relationship with the wife of a villager. Sohrai Singh, the husband of Mukhiya Malti Devi, ordered corporal punishment after convening a Panchayat in the matter. In the Panchayat, her husband was assaulted using lathi. When Dinu’s family members ran for rescue they were also assaulted. The panchayat also imposed a fine of Rs 51000 on Dinu with direction to pay Rs 3100 immediately and the remaining amount in a week.”
“Injured Dinu was then taken for treatment to a quack Suresh Yadav. After treatment, he was sent home where he succumbed to his injury. Next morning when the matter came to the knowledge of police, the body was recovered and sent for autopsy and started an investigation after registration of a FIR.
As the matter spread, villagers today staged demonstrations on the road to protest against the high-handedness of Mukhiya and her husband,” the villager added.
Superintendent of police of Latehar Anjani Anjan confirmed the incident saying three persons have been arrested in this connection so far.
“We have arrested three persons in this connection so far. There are two more involved in this incident. We are now trying to arrest them,” he said.
