This is part of a series of articles by Outlook to document past and present cases of rape and sexual assault on women. To read articles from Outlook's 11 September 2024 magazine issue 'Lest We Forget', click here
On August 12, the mutilated body of a 14-year-old girl was recovered from a pond near Paru village in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur district. The youngest child of a Dalit couple, the girl was allegedly raped, and murdered using a trowel that was found nearby.
She was kidnapped at gunpoint from her home on August 11, allegedly by 45-year-old Sanjay Rai, who is a Yadav--a higher caste. According to the police report, he had come to their house the night before, pressurising her family to give him the girl in marriage. When they did not agree, he abducted the girl and threatened to rape and kill her. Preliminary investigation also found that the accused had been in touch with the girl for the last three years.
On August 13, the girl’s mother filed a complaint at the Paroo police station alleging rape and murder. An FIR was lodged subsequently against Rai and five unknown persons under Sections 103 [1] (murder) and 70 [2] (gang rape of a minor) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, as well as under relevant sections of the POCSO Act. Additionally, sections of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities Act), 1989 were also imposed.
The incident came to light amid an ongoing furore over the rape and murder of a young doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar medical college and hospital. Angry villagers in Paru began a foot march while urging others to gherao the police station. A clash broke out when security personnel tried to stop them. The police claimed that the protestors turned violent and started pelting stones. Twelve people were detained during the procession.
Arrests and uproar
Following the incident, Rai had been on the run. When he failed to surrender, the district police attached the property where he lived with his wife and children a mere 500 metres away from the victim’s hut, and partially demolished it with the help of a JCB machine.
On August 19, Rai was arrested by the special investigation team of police. Three more persons–-Pankaj Paswan, Munna Paswan and Chunnu Paswan–-were arrested on murder charges.
According to SSP (Muzaffarpur) Rakesh Kumar, “On August 11, the day the incident took place... Pankaj hit the girl with a rod on the back of her head. Soon after, Munna attacked the girl with a blunt object… and later they fled.” He added that Rai then “strangled” the minor, “tied her hands and legs, and threw her body in a nearby pond in Paru village” and escaped from the spot.
It was widely circulated by local media reports and on social media that the girl was raped and her breasts were mutilated. However, in the investigation so far, the rape has not been confirmed. “Neither medical report confirmed the rape nor the accused have told about it during interrogation,” the SSP said in a statement. The two sides are yet to be heard in court.
The incident also kicked up a political storm with Tejashwi Yadav, the Leader of Opposition in Bihar Assembly, targeting the Nitish Kumar government. “The horrific incident is proof of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar losing grip. Murders, rapes and other serious crimes have become the order of the day,” the RJD leader said.
Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati also condemned the incident and demanded strict action against all the culprits. “The government should pay special attention to the safety and respect of Dalits,” she noted.
