Jharkhand: 15 personnel suspended, 3 arrested over alleged rape within Gamharia police station premises

Fifteen police personnel have been suspended and three arrested in connection with the alleged rape of a woman inside the premises of Gamharia police station in Jharkhand's Seraikela-Kharsawan district, police said on Monday.

The accused include Neeraj Lakra, a wireless operator posted at the police station, Sub-Inspector Manoj Kumar Sahu and Constable Santosh Kumar Rai. All three have been arrested and remanded to judicial custody.

According to Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Anubhav Bhardwaj, the woman lodged a written complaint on October 31, alleging that she had been raped inside the police station premises. Following the complaint, police formed a team to apprehend the accused.

"On October 31, a woman filed a written complaint alleging that she was raped within the police station premises. Acting promptly on the instructions, a team was constituted; the accused were apprehended and have since been remanded to judicial custody. All necessary legal procedures have been followed step-by-step," Bhardwaj told ANI.

A Special Investigation Team (SIT), headed by Bhardwaj, is probing the case. The investigation is continuing, and further legal action will be taken against anyone found guilty.

Seraikela-Kharsawan Superintendent of Police Manoj Swargiary visited the area on Monday to review the incident and the findings of the investigation.

The case has triggered protests, with members of the Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha (JLKM) demanding justice for the woman and raising questions about security arrangements at the police station.

JLKM's ST Morcha Central Vice President Prem Mardi described the incident as extremely serious and said the organisation had staged a protest on Sunday. Its members returned to the police station on Monday to assist in the collection of evidence concerning the victim.

"We stand firmly with the victim and are committed to supporting her in every possible way to ensure she receives justice," Mardi said.

He also questioned the adequacy of CCTV surveillance and the alleged absence of female police personnel at the police station.

"My question is directed straight to the Government of Jharkhand: the DGP here is a woman herself, yet, with a woman at the helm of the police force, how can such abuse against a woman occur inside a police station? Furthermore, it seems that CCTV coverage is either inadequate or non-existent. The absence of female police personnel points to a complete collapse of the police administration in Jharkhand; women simply do not feel safe here," he said.

Meanwhile, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader Manoj Pandey said the government would not spare anyone involved in the alleged crime and maintained that strict action had already been taken against the accused personnel.

"This is the land of Jharkhand; here, action is taken, action that is swift and decisive enough to ensure criminals would not dare to commit a crime again. If you do something wrong, we will not spare you. Action was taken against police personnel swiftly; they were suspended and arrested," Pandey told ANI.

The SIT is continuing its investigation to establish the circumstances surrounding the alleged incident and determine whether others were involved.

(With ANI inputs)