For five years, Shahrukh Hussain harassed a Hindu girl student in Dumka, Jharkhand. He eventually set her ablaze by pouring petrol on her while she was asleep, and the girl, Ankita Singh, died during treatment. The region where this tragedy occurred has long been a bastion of the state’s ruling party and the family of Chief Minister Hemant Soren. He has previously served as an MLA from Dumka. Shibu Soren, his father, has served as an MP from this district seven times. In such a scenario, the occurrence of such an incident in this area directly raises doubts about the government’s functioning style, because it is the governing party’s heartland.
Ankita Singh dies, Hemant Soren Government continues to enjoy their picnic
First and foremost, let’s talk about the recent incident in Dumka. Ankita Singh was a class 12 student, and her father sustained the family by running a grocery store. Shahrukh used to call Ankita over the phone and harass her. He used to tease Ankita on the way to school, which forced her to stop going to school. He set fire to Ankita, who was asleep, at 4 AM after throwing petrol from the window. The Hindu student died after a week of the struggle for her life in the hospital.
Following the incident, the locals became enraged and protested demanding action. Shahrukh’s smiling face while in police custody added fuel to the fire. Since we live in the age of social media, the demand for justice cannot be silenced with old government techniques. The police administration tried it and enacted Section-144, which prohibits citizens from raising their voices. People yelled anti-administration chants in response and demanded the hanging of Shahrukh during Ankita’s funeral.
It may come as a surprise that the police and district administration are currently less focused on punishing Shahrukh Hussain and more on how to ensure that this event does not disrupt the picnic of the JMM MLAs led by Hemant Soren. Is it not allowed to seek justice in the state ruled by the ‘Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)’? Even though there was no violence or arson, why was Section 144 imposed? This is not the first time that this has been done to silence Hindus’ concerns.
And where is Hemant Soren, the Chief Minister? In Latratu, he is having a picnic with his MLAs. He is accused of having a conflict of interest in allocating himself a coal mine and may lose his assembly seat as well. However, Jharkhand’s ruling coalition is engaged in ‘resort politics’ with its MLAs. 43 MLAs were taken for a picnic in three buses. In Khunti, the Jharkhand government is enjoying mutton-rice, while Ankita Singh’s destitute family is mourning her death.
Not the first instance of suppressing Hindu voices in Jharkhand
Do you recall Rupesh Pandey’s murder? Rupesh Pandey was killed by Muslims in Hazaribagh during Saraswati Puja. Section-144 was imposed in Barhi in February 2022, after Hindus demanded justice in this case. After 17-year-old Rupesh Pandey was lynched during the immersion of Saraswati Puja, communal tensions escalated in the area, and religious structures were also vandalised. What action did the government take in response, imposed Section 144.
Similarly, in January 2020, an artist named Neeraj Prajapati was slain after a pro-CAA march in Lohardaga was stormed by a mob yelling ‘Pakistan Zindabad.’ The government enforced a curfew at the time, not just Section-144.
Sympathisers from all around the country, however, gathered money for the unfortunate victim’s family. Common people, on the other hand, were deprived of pulses and vegetables owing to the government curfew.
Now we should recollect the assassination of VHP leader Mukesh Soni in Ranchi, the capital city of Jharkhand. He was a jewellery merchant, and following his death in December 2021, enraged Hindus flocked to the streets. Following this, the government deployed a huge number of policemen to prevent Hindus from protesting for justice. Mukesh Soni, who used to live in Khalari, used to own a business in McCluskeyganj. Even then, Hindu organisations highlighted concerns about Hindus’ safety in the state.
Air ambulance for rioter Nadeem, while Ankita’s family struggled for her treatment
After all, why does Jharkhand’s Hemant Soren government want Hindus to continue dying whilst also remaining silent? At the same time, what is the JMM government’s position on Muslims? When stone pelter Nadeem Ansari was hurt in a riot in Ranchi in June 2022, he was treated at the cost of the government. He was transported by air ambulance. Nadeem was flown to Delhi by air ambulance, but when Ankita Singh was referred to RIMS, her family struggled to pay for her treatment.
अब इससे दुर्भाग्यपूर्ण और क्या होगा?
— Babulal Marandi (@yourBabulal) August 28, 2022
एक सीटीबाज मुख्यमंत्री से राज्य में महिलाओं के सम्मान और सुरक्षा की इससे ज्यादा उम्मीद भी नहीं की जा सकती।
अब कम से कम फास्टट्रैक कोर्ट का गठन कर हत्यारे को फाँसी दिलाये मुख्यमंत्री, ताकि मृतका के परिजनों को न्याय मिले।#JusticeForAnkita
Not an air ambulance, but if an ordinary ambulance was provided in time and Ankita Singh had been treated at RIMS from the start, she may have survived. However, as stone pelter Nadeem was treated at AIIMS, the destiny of innocent Ankita was predetermined. Jharkhand government officials are still facing charges of cover-up in this matter. No minister-MLA visited to see Ankita or her family for the number of days she was in the hospital.
