Ranchi, March 28 BJP state president and Rajya Sabha MP Aditya Sahu on Saturday launched a sharp attack on the Jharkhand government over the murder of a minor girl in Hazaribagh district.
Addressing a press conference at the BJP state headquarters in Ranchi, Sahu said while people were celebrating Ram Navami and Chaitra Navratri, the girl was kidnapped, sexually assaulted, and brutally killed. He described the incident as extremely tragic and inhuman.
Sahu accused the police and administration of failing to maintain law and order, claiming that the fear of law has vanished among criminals. He alleged that instead of strengthening police systems, officials were busy with other work and, even after several days, senior officers had not met the victim's family.
BJP demanded the swift arrest of the accused, capital punishment for perpetrators, Rs 50 lakh compensation for the family, a government job for the father, and security for the family.
Sahu issued a 24-hour ultimatum, warning that if arrests were not made, torch rallies would be held across all block headquarters in Hazaribagh on March 29, followed by a district-wide shutdown on March 30. He added that if action remained absent, the protest would be expanded across Jharkhand.
Sahu also targeted Chief Minister Hemant Soren, noting no response had come from his office regarding such a grave incident.
Congress spokesperson Rakesh Sinha, in a release issued to the media on Saturday, also expressed concern over the alleged rape and murder of the 13-year-old girl in Hazaribag district and sought the immediate arrest of the culprits.
"The failure to arrest the accused even several days after the incident has naturally engendered a sense of insecurity and unease among the victim's family and the local populace. In light of this situation, the Jharkhand Pradesh Congress Committee has expressed its deep concern regarding this matter," Sinha said.
State Congress president Keshav Mahto Kamlesh termed the incident "distressing".
"This incident in Bishnugarh is profoundly distressing. We are confident that the state government will prioritise this matter and bring the culprits to justice as expeditiously as possible," said Keshav Mahato.
He also appealed for expediting the investigation into the case and the arrest of the culprits, and sought the trial to be conducted in a Fast-Track Court to accelerate the delivery of justice.