The Jharkhand High Court on Friday directed the government to explain under what circumstances was the class 12 girl, who was allegedly set on fire for refusing the advances of a man, brought from Dumka to Ranchi for treatment.
Hearing a suo moto PIL, a division bench of Chief Justice Ravi Ranjan and Justice Sujit Narayan Prasad directed DGP Neeraj Sinha to inform the court about the severity of her burn injuries.
The girl was set on fire on August 23 allegedly by one Shahrukh for spurning his advances. She succumbed to the injuries on August 28, triggering widespread outrage.
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The court also directed the Centre to inform it about the status of AIIMS-Deoghar, and whether it has a burn ward.
The distance between Dumka and Deoghar is 60 km, while the distance between Dumka and Ranchi is 290 km.
Following the incident, the girl was admitted to a local hospital from where she was referred to Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Ranchi. She succumbed to her injuries there.
NCPCR To Seek NIA Probe Into Dumka Girl's Killing
The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) will write to the Jharkhand government to recommend a probe by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), he said. Police claim that the victim was 19 years old, while her family maintains that she was 16.
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The Child Welfare Committee (CWC) in Dumka has also recommended that sections of the Protection of Children Against Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act be added to the FIR as the girl was a minor. During his visit to Dumka last month, Kanoongo claimed that the local police were not capable of probing the case, alleging flaws in the investigation.
The ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) earlier said that the NCPCR is a statutory body. "Let it give its observation," party spokesperson Supriya Bhattacharya said. The killing had triggered widespread outrage with the opposition BJP attacking the government for the way the investigation was handled.
(With PTI Inputs)
