The Child Welfacre Committee (CWC) in Jharkhand's Dumka district has said that the class 12 student allegedly set on fire by a man for not accepting his proposal was a minor. The panel has sought action under the Protection of Childron from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
The CWC said she was around 16 years old as per the class 10 board examination marksheet and not an adult as claimed by the police. She was initially reported to be 19-years-old.
The accused man allegedly set the girl on fire in Dumka on August 23 for rejecting his proposal. He poured petrol on her through the window of her room when she was sleeping and then he set her on fire. The woman was first admitted to Phulo Jhano Medical College and Hospital in Dumka in critical condition with 90 per cent burns. Later she was referred to Ranchi’s Rajendra Institute of Medical Science (RIMS) for better treatment. She died at RIMS on Sunday.
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The man, identified as Shahrukh, has been arrested. Another man who allegedly provided petrol to Shahrukh has also been arrested.
"We recommend that sections of the POCSO Act be added to the FIR as the girl was a minor as per our probe," Dumka CWC chairperson Amarendra Kumar told PTI on Monday.
A four-member CWC team led by Kumar met the victim's family on Monday and procured her marksheet.
"According to her marksheet, she was born on November 26, 2006. She was a minor. So, sections under the POCSO Act are applicable in this case," he added.
Earlier, Dumka Police had claimed that the deceased had mentioned that she was 19 years old in the statement given before the magistrate.
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The National Commission for Women on Monday said it has written to the Jharkhand Police chief, calling for a fair investigation into the death of the woman.
“The Director General of Police has been directed to submit an early report on the progress of the investigation, which should be conducted by ADG rank officer,” Chief Minister Hemant Sorn said in a Twitter post.
Soren said the case will be taken up by a fast-track court for speedy disposal.
Before her death, the woman gave a statement to an executive magistrate and said that the accused called her on her mobile around 10 days back pestering her to become his friend.
PTI reported her as having said: "He called me again around 8 pm on Monday and told me that he would kill me if I did not talk to him. I informed my father about the threat after which he assured me that he would talk to the man’s family on Tuesday. After having our dinner, we went to sleep. I was sleeping in another room.
"On Tuesday morning, I experienced a sensation of pain on my back and could smell something burning. I found him running away when I opened my eyes. I started screaming in pain and went to my father’s room. My parents doused the fire and took me to the hospital."
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Visuals of Shahrukh in police custody surfaced on the internet in which he was seen smiling at the camera. He was widely condemned for smiling after allegedly killing a girl. Delhi Commission for Women chief Swati Maliwal said in a tweet that "this smile shows the courage of these cruel people and the failure of the system".
(With PTI inputs)
