Ranchi: A 33-year-old tribal woman from Jharkhand’s Latehar district has alleged that she was beaten, sexually harassed, and subjected to casteist slurs by policemen inside the Bariatu police station.
The complaint, signed by the tribal woman and a group of villagers and addressed to Latehar’s superintendent of police (SP), names Bariatu police station officer-in-charge Prabhat Kumar Das, along with a driver Kundan Thakur, Munshi Manish, and three other ‘plainclothes personnel’ allegedly involved in the assault. A tribal rights group shared a video of the victim sharing her ordeal and a copy of the complaint on social media on Thursday. Taking cognisance of the allegations, chief minister Hemant Soren directed the authorities on Friday to investigate and take appropriate action.
She further alleged that the police forcefully filmed a fabricated video statement, coercing her to claim involvement in illegal poppy cultivation before releasing her the following night. Following mass outrage and intervention from Jharkhand Janadhikar Mahasabaha, a people’s rights organisation, and a directive from CM Soren, the Jharkhand Police set up an internal investigation team to examine the incident. Local residents and human rights groups continue to demand the immediate suspension and arrest of the accused police officer and personnel.
The woman, a resident of Melam Tola, was forcibly taken into custody on October 5 while she was grazing goats near Bajnadih Mahua, according to the complaint. The complaint also notes that officers allegedly ransacked her home and stole ₹ 80,000 saved for an upcoming wedding.
The woman allegedly subjected her to severe assault, tied upside down inside the police station, and green chillies were forced into her mouth, according to the complaint.
