Bokaro: Police resorted to lathicharge and fired tear gas shells to disperse the mob blocking the National Highway-23 (Bokaro-Ramgarh-Ranchi) at Petarwar Chowk under Petarwar police station here. The agitators pelted stones on police personnels. Several private vehicles were also vandalised by agitators. Many people including policemen sustained injuries.
Police personnels however cleared the jam after six hours of hard struggle. The controversy broke out after a minor girl was allegedly raped in the Petarwar area. The incident happened on Wednesday night. Infuriated residents on Thursday morning blocked the highway demanding suspension of officer incharge and death punishment for the accused. Video:
There were also protests at Petarwar Police Station, situated about 39 kilometers from the district headquarter. Traffic movement on the state’s busiest national highway was disrupted for several hours, from 9 am to 4 pm. Vehicles remained stranded on both sides of the highway. The lines of vehicles on both sides were more than two kilometers long. Tyres were burned between the road by agitators. The Petarwar market remained closed.
Kuldeep Chaudhary, DC of Bokaro, said “efforts are being made to disperse the mob and restore law and order”. DC also said “deployment of magistrate and police personnels has been done at Petarwar. They are keeping vigil on the situation. Civil surgeon has been instructed to conduct medical examination of the victim”. SP, Bokaro, Chandan Jha was unavailable for comment.
Meanwhile Lambodar Mahto, MLA from Gomia, sat on a dharna at the state assembly’s main gate. As soon as the assembly proceedings began, Lambodar Mahto raised the issue. Hazaribagh MLA Manish Jaiswal backed him. Both MLAs demanded that a fast track be formed in the case, and if convicted, the accused be hanged.
The Giridih MP Chandraprakash Chaudhary, too, condemned the incident. After the incident, he sat on a dharna at Bokaro Sadar Hospital with his supporters for about an hour. He met the victim.
Residents allegedly caught two youths who were leaving the victim unconscious on the roadside. They thrashed them and handed over to the police. They are both from another community. Later, first aid was administered to the girl by Community Health Center, Petarwar, and she was referred to Bokaro Sadar Hospital.
The victim is said to wearing school clothes. She belongs to the schedule caste and is a Class X student. It is believed that the youths lured the girl while she was returning from school. They then allegedly raped her. After she fainted, they tried to run away dropping her roadside. While fleeing, the locals caught him.
Giridih MP Chandraprakash Chaudhary said the police should investigate the matter by forming a joint medical team. The report of medical examination is awaited.
