Ranchi, April 1 The opposition BJP called for a bandh in Jharkhand on April 3, demanding justice for a 12-year-old girl who was allegedly raped and murdered in the Hazaribag district.
The party also announced torchlight processions across all block and district headquarters on April 2 to mobilize support for the shutdown.
Speaking to reporters at the party's state headquarters in Ranchi, BJP spokesperson Pratul Shahdeo claimed that the law and order machinery has "completely collapsed" in Jharkhand.
He alleged that 10,113 cases of rape, 11,003 cases of kidnapping, over 60,000 cases of theft, and 9,213 cases of murder were registered in the state between 2020 and January 2026.
He claimed that the police only intensified their investigation into the Hazaribag case after state BJP president Aditya Sahu raised the issue.
"We have been demanding that the culprits be identified and punished. The April 3 bandh will be historic," he said.
The Jharkhand High Court took suo motu cognizance of the incident on Monday and issued notices to the state administration and the DGP.
According to the FIR lodged by the family, the girl had gone with her mother to watch the 'Mangla' procession, taken out as part of Ram Navami celebrations, on the night of March 24.
She was allegedly abducted, and her body was recovered from a field the next day.
A three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted to probe the case.
Meanwhile, a five-member BJP delegation met DGP Tadasha Mishra and raised concerns about the law and order situation in the state.
State BJP vice president Rakesh Prasad said the delegation also flagged alleged incidents of stone-pelting during a Ram Navami procession in the Khunti district on March 28.
Alleging "appeasement politics", Prasad demanded the release of 77 persons, whom he described as innocent, arrested in connection with the case.
Hatia MLA Naveen Jaiswal said the delegation also pressed for the immediate arrest of those responsible for the Hazaribag crime.