Latehar, October 9 (Daily Kiran) : In Latehar, Jharkhand, Chief Minister Hemant Soren has taken action regarding the alleged assault and harassment of a tribal woman by police. He instructed the district’s Superintendent of Police to conduct an immediate investigation and report the findings.
The incident came to light through a post on social media by the Jharkhand Janadhikar Mahasabha. Following this, the Chief Minister emphasized that such behavior is unacceptable. The case involves a woman named Puniya Devi, who, on October 5, went out to graze her goats in the Bariyatu police station area. During this time, she reportedly had a confrontation with plainclothes police officers.
According to allegations, the Officer-in-Charge of Bariyatu police station, Prabhat Kumar Das, along with three other officers, took the woman into custody. She claims that during transport, she was beaten, verbally abused, and faced caste-based slurs. Villagers assert that the assault continued at the police station, where she was allegedly hung upside down and beaten with sticks. The woman has also accused the officers of sexual misconduct.
Additionally, it is claimed that the police accused her of cultivating opium and forcibly took ₹80,000, which was meant for a wedding, from her home. Reports suggest she was released from the station the following night. These allegations have yet to be independently verified.
In response to the incident, villagers gathered at the Latehar Superintendent of Police’s office to file a written complaint, demanding action against the involved officers. Following the outrage, the Chief Minister has mandated an investigation by the police administration.
The Latehar police have formed a team led by the Sub-Divisional Police Officer of Balumath and a female officer to investigate the matter. The Jharkhand Janadhikar Mahasabha and local tribal organizations are calling for the suspension of the implicated officers and the filing of a First Information Report under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The investigation into the allegations is ongoing.
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