The policemen who were kidnapped from the home of a BJP MP, Karia Munda on Tuesday, allegedly by tribals in Jharkhand, have been released and have reported walking back on their own, to a nearby police station. The three cops were allegedly abducted by supporters of the Pathalgadi Movement that calls for some local tribal areas in Jharkhand to be declared as self-governed territories. The police had, however, launched a huge campaign to rescue these soldiers but surprisingly they were released and managed to walk free on their own.
The kidnapping happened hours after the police raided villages in Jharkhand’s Khunti area to find the men who had allegedly raped five activists last week. The villagers had tried to prevent the police contingent from entering the village earlier. Eyewitnesses to the abduction said around 150 men had come to the MP’s house.
The policemen were deployed outside the BJP MP’s house and it was believed that only three were kidnapped while the fourth managed to escape. However, the return of four personnel in total may have embarrassed the state police as top officers were reportedly oblivious to the abduction of the fourth cop, Nagendra Singh. Police, however, now believe that during a face-off between the police and Pathalgarhi supporters in Ghaghra village, Nagendra Singh, the fourth policeman, was also taken away.
Five women, including four young girls, were reportedly abducted and taken away to be gang-raped on gun point by a group of men on 19th June 2018. The women were part of an NGO. They were reportedly performing a street play to create awareness against migration and human trafficking. A group of men abducted the performers in a car and gang-raped them in a nearby forest. The perpetrators even reportedly made videos of the crime.
Jharkhand police had launched a man-hunt operation after they were informed by social workers a day later. The three policemen were abducted, allegedly by tribals in Jharkhand, after the police started search operations.
According to reports, though the incident happened in the school premises in the presence of the priests and nuns, none of them had complained to the police. A total of 12 people were detained by the police in an investigation into the gangrape.
The National Commission for Women said on Thursday the alleged gangrape of five NGO workers at gunpoint in Jharkhand’s Khunti district was planned ahead, and it questioned the role of the manager of the school from where the women were abducted.
The state BJP has demanded the formation of fast-track court in the case and punish the criminals within six months. According to some reports, PLFI (People’s Liberation Front of India) leader Kushal Munda and his associates are allegedly involved in the matter. PLFI is a terrorist organization operating in the state. PLFI is reportedly a breakaway faction of the CPI(M) and has been involved in murders and several attacks in Khunti district in the past.
