Jharkhand panchayat fines man for raping minor, holds liquor party with money

Police in Jharkhand's Gumla district arrested the accused after a tip-off that a village panchayat was trying to settle the alleged rape of a three-year-old girl.

In Short

• Three-year-old girl allegedly raped in Jharkhand's Gumla district
• Village panchayat tried to settle case with Rs 1 lakh fine on accused
• Rs 20,000 paid immediately, used for feast with meat and liquor

A three-year-old girl was allegedly raped in Jharkhand's Gumla district, following which a village panchayat allegedly attempted to suppress the case by imposing a Rs 1 lakh fine on the accused instead of reporting the crime to police, officials said on Monday.

The accused was directed to immediately pay Rs 20,000, which was allegedly used by those present to organise a feast involving meat and liquor, while the remaining Rs 80,000 was ordered to be paid within a week.

Police, acting on a tip-off, intervened before the matter could be buried, registered an FIR and arrested the accused. The incident took place in Palma village.

An official said that the police received information that villagers were trying to settle the alleged rape of the minor through a panchayat and prevent the case from reaching the authorities.

"Due to pressure from villagers, the matter was not being reported to the police. After receiving information, our team reached the village, recorded the victim's mother's statement, registered an FIR and arrested the accused," the official said.

According to the police, the incident occurred around 4 pm on Saturday when the accused, identified as Sunil Lohra, allegedly visited the survivour's house. The child's mother was at home with her daughter when Lohra reportedly offered to look after the toddler so that she could finish her work.

Police said Lohra allegedly took the child into a room and sexually assaulted her. The mother rushed inside after hearing the girl cry and found her bleeding.

Instead of reporting the crime to the police, the matter was allegedly taken before a village panchayat.

According to the complaint, some members of the panchayat first took the child to a private doctor and later convened a meeting on Sunday, where they decided to impose a Rs 1 lakh fine on the accused in an attempt to settle the matter within the village.

The accused allegedly paid Rs 20,000 on the spot, while the panchayat directed him to deposit the remaining Rs 80,000 within a week.

The alleged cover-up came to light after a resident of the village secretly informed the police. Acting on the information, a police team reached the village on Sunday.

The feast funded with the Rs 20,000 was underway when police arrived. Officials arrested the accused while he was attending the celebration. The statement of the three-year-old girl's mother was also recorded.

Lodo Ekka, the village head (Mukhiya) of Arangi Panchayat, said that some villagers had convened a meeting after the alleged rape of the young girl in Palma village. "I was not informed about this meeting. I came to know about it only after the police reached the village and the matter came to light," he said.

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