On August 23, a 19-year-old girl named Ankita Kumari set ablaze by her stalker, Shahrukh Husain, in Dumka, Jharkhand, succumbed to her injuries on August 28 (Sunday).
Before her demise, she gave a statement to the executive magistrate where she said that she was constantly pursued and harassed by a man named Shahrukh Hussain. When she rejected his advances, he threatened to make her life difficult.
“I informed my father about Shahurukh’s threats the evening before. The next day, at around 4 in the morning, he along with his friend poured petrol through the window of my room. I felt a sensation on my back and could smell burning. I opened my eyes only to see Shahrukh and his accomplice, Chotu, running away,” Ankita said in her statement.
A burning Ankita ran to her parent’s bedroom who doused the fire and immediately rushed her to Phulo Jhano Medical College and Hospital in Dumka. She had suffered 90% burn injuries.
She was later referred to the Rajendra Institute of Medical Science (RIMS) in Ranchi for better treatment. However, after a week of extreme pain and being unable to move her body, Ankita passed away on Sunday at around 2.30 am.
Shahrukh Hussain, who worked as a construction worker, was arrested by the police on August 23.
Anger around Dumka
As news of her demise spread, angry Hindus mainly from the right-wing extremist group Bajrang Dal demanded the harshest punishment for the accused. Raising slogans, many came to the streets demanding death by hanging, raising slogans of ‘Jai Shree Ram‘, as well as ‘Desh ke gaddaron ko, goli maaro saalon ko’.
Following the protests, prohibitory orders (Section 144) were deployed in Dumka town on Sunday to control the chaos.
“In a bid to maintain law and order, Section-144 of the CrPC has been imposed in Dumka sub-division. The gathering of five and more people in one place is prohibited. Rally, demonstration, and procession are not allowed without prior permission,” sub-divisional officer (SDO) Maheswar Mahto said.
Jharkhand health minister Banna Gupta ensured that the case will put on fast trial and justice will be served.
Jharkhand chief minister Hemanth Soren compared the incident to evil. “A lot of evil acts are being seen in society. This incident is heart-wrenching & the law is taking its course. The accused has been arrested. It is our effort to see that he is punished at the earliest,” the CM said while speaking to ANI.
CM enjoying picnic: Opposition reacts
Claiming that women are now “not safe” in Jharkhand, BJP leaders, including former Jharkhand chief ministers Raghubar Das and Babulal Marandi said that “when the woman was burnt to death, the chief minister was enjoying a picnic.”
“Dumka’s heinous incident proves that women are not safe under the Hemant Soren government in Jharkhand. In the past 32 months, more than 5,000 cases of rape registered in the state,” state BJP president Deepak Prakash alleged on Sunday at the party’s ‘Prasikshan Shivir’ at Madhuban in Giridih district.
Das, who is also the BJP national vice president, said, “We have seen Nadeem (Ansari), an accused in the Ranchi violence, was sent to Delhi in an air ambulance for better treatment at the government cost, while the 19-year-old woman with burn injuries was not looked after properly.”
Responding to the BJP leaders’ comments, JMM spokesperson Supriyo Bhattacharya accused the BJP leaders of trying to do “communal politics” over the incident.
“Dumka incident was condemnable. The BJP should refrain from doing communal politics over it. The government also wants punishment through trial in the fast track court,” he said.
(With agency inputs)
