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Darbhanga: Protests over rape and murder of minor, 6 held
Normalcy returns to Darbhanga after violent protests over a six-year-old girl's alleged rape and murder; police arrest prime suspect and six others.
Normalcy was restored in Darbhanga following violent protests on Sunday triggered by the alleged rape and murder of a six-year-old girl the previous day. Police arrested prime accused, 22-year-old Vikas Mahto, while an FIR was registered against 43 named and 40-50 unidentified persons — for arson, vandalism, and disrupting law and order during the unrest.
“So far six persons have been arrested for being involved in violence and stone pelting,” SHO of University police station Sudhir Kumar said on Monday. Raids were being conducted to nab the rest, he added.
District magistrate Kaushal Kumar and SSP Jagunath Raddi emphasised that the accused would face a speedy trial to dispense justice at the earliest.
The incident occurred on Saturday evening under University police station, near Patwa Pokhar in Sundarpur Bela area. The minor was playing near a pond with two other children when the accused allegedly attempted to abduct all three. The two other children escaped, but the six-year-old was taken away, sexually assaulted, and killed. Her body was discovered late that night near a boundary wall by the pond, lying in a pool of blood, after family members were alerted by unusual barking from dogs in the vicinity.
Police launched an immediate investigation, relying on statements from the surviving children and CCTV footage from the area. This led to the identification and arrest of Vikas from his residence. Bloodstains were reportedly found on his clothes. The brutal crime sparked widespread outrage, leading to protests on Sunday morning. Angry residents gathered at Kadirabad Chowk and later near the Sundarpur Bela Durga Temple, demanding that the accused be handed over to them for immediate justice. The demonstration escalated into violence as the crowd blocked the main road with bamboo barricades, set vehicles ablaze — including an auto-rickshaw — vandalised shops, and torched the shop belonging to the accused’s father.When police intervened to disperse the mob, they faced stone-pelting, resulting in injuries to several officers.
