E-Paper
Hazaribagh minor rape and murder case: Amba slams police over ‘Human sacrifice’ theory
Amba alleged that the investigation was botched to protect influential figures and lacked scientific rigour
All Indian Congress Committee (AICC) national secretary and former MLA Amba Prasad launched a scathing attack on the Jharkhand Police, demanding an immediate CBI probe into the “suspicious” murder of a 13-year-old girl in Kusumba village.
Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, Amba dismissed the police’s “human sacrifice” narrative—which led to the arrest of the victim’s mother, an occultist, and one other—as a “concocted work of fiction”.
Amba alleged that the investigation was botched to protect influential figures and lacked scientific rigour. “Through this investigation, this young girl has been murdered a second time. The citizens of Jharkhand will not tolerate a police force that colludes with such murderers,” she said.
Amba alleged that police instead of conducting a scientific investigation, merely penned a work of fiction.
“Instead of conducting a scientific investigation, police have merely penned a work of fiction. Police have completely demolished the motive and evidence,” she said punching holes in the police investigation.
Pointing out procedural and timeline gaps the AICC leader raised several critical questions regarding the police’s late-night press release issued on April 1.
She pointed out that the Ashtami tithi (the alleged day for the sacrifice) fell on the night of March 25–26, yet the murder reportedly occurred on the night of March 24–25.
She questioned the absence of forensic reports, search-and-seizure inventories, or medical records for the mother’s supposedly ill son.
She also questioned the FIR Integrity. “Since the mother (the original complainant) is now the accused, the legal foundation of the case has been compromised,” she said.
The press conference was organised just a day after the BJP also raised serious doubts about the police investigation. While the BJP had initially called for a torchlight procession on April 3 and a massive district-wide protest and a ‘Hazaribagh Bandh’ on April 9, they called off their protest programme following the arrests, though they continue to demand a judicial or central probe.
The Jharkhand High Court has already taken suo motu cognisance of the case, seeking a detailed report from the state administration.
The situation arose after a Class 6 student went missing on the night of March 24 while attending a Ram Navami Mangla procession in her village. Her body was found the following morning (March 25) behind a middle school in an open field. She had suffered severe head injuries, and initial reports suspected rape due to a wooden stick being found in her private parts.
Police claimed the victim’s mother, Reshmi Devi, was convinced by a local occultist (tantrik) that sacrificing a “virgin girl” was necessary to cure her youngest son’s chronic mental and physical ailments.
During the ritual on the night of Ashtami, the mother allegedly held the girl’s legs while an accomplice, Bhim Ram, strangled her. The tantrik then allegedly inserted a stick into the victim’s private parts and struck her head with a stone to collect blood for the ritual.
Hazaribagh superintendent of police (SP) Anjani Anjan refused to comment on Amba’s allegation, saying, “All these points raised are part of the investigation.” He, however, did not elaborate.
