Days after the Jharkhand Child Welfare Committee revealed that deceased Ankita Singh, who was murdered by her stalker Shahrukh Hussain, was a minor when she was burnt alive. Media reports now indicate that the Jharkhand Police already knew the fact that she was a minor and had deliberately mentioned her age as 19 in the Police report.
According to the reports, the Jharkhand Police had first mentioned in the complaint that the girl was 17 when she died and later had overwritten the same to make it 19. On Thursday however, the Police accepted that the girl was aged 15 at the time of the incident and added the sections of the POCSO Act against accused Shahrukh Hussain and Naeem.
It is believed that the Jharkhand Police while investigating the case made attempts to save the two accused from severe punishment under the POCSO Act. The officers deliberately changed the age of the deceased to make her look like an adult. Notably, deceased Ankita had also mentioned her age as 17 in her police statement.
It is alleged that the police tried to help the accused in the initial phase by mentioning the victim’s age as 19. However, the victim’s statement was recorded in the presence of the magistrate. The Police Headquarters now has directed the Dumka DIG to look into the matter and has ordered an inquiry related to the complaint of overwriting in age.
Earlier on September 1, the Jharkhand Police had accepted that the girl was 15 when she was murdered and had added relevant sections of POCSO to the case. This is after the Jharkhand Child Welfare Committee had taken cognizance of the incident and had revealed that Ankita who was studying in class 12 was a minor as per her birth documents and certificates. The CWC brought out the deceased’s class 10 mark sheet which mentioned her date of birth as November 26, 2006.
To note, 15-year-old Ankita Singh, was a resident of Dumka and was burnt alive by two accused named Shahrukh and Naeem. The accused allegedly poured the inflammable fuel on her from the window of her bedroom when she was fast asleep. She was taken to the hospital shortly after the incident and on August 28, she succumbed to her burn injuries.
Days after Ankita’s death, videos of her last words went viral over social media where she could be heard demanding painful death for the accused who set her on fire. “He should die the way I am dying today,” the Dumka girl had said who breathed her last at 2.30 am on Sunday.
