In a chilling escalation of violence against women, Gumla district in Jharkhand witnessed its second gang-rape within 48 hours. A minor schoolgirl became the latest victim in Raidiha, ambushed by eight men while heading home from a local fair with her friend.
The evening had started innocently enough. The girl and her friend enjoyed the vibrant Marda Mela on Friday night. But their joy turned to terror on the return path. Near a mango grove, the group of thugs surrounded them. They roughed up the boy, chasing him away, before turning their savagery on the defenseless minor, taking turns to rape her in a prolonged and barbaric assault.
Shaken but determined, the victim stumbled home and poured out her ordeal to her relatives. The family wasted no time filing an FIR at Raidiha station, prompting a massive police mobilization. Raids are underway, with officials confident of cracking the case imminently.
Barely 48 hours earlier, a similar horror struck in Kamdara, where two underage girls were kidnapped by car-borne youths and gang-raped. Quick police work led to the arrest of the four culprits: Anmol Dungdung, Surendra Sahu, Dharmjeet Badaik, and Sonu from Simdega, offering a sliver of justice.
These successive crimes expose deep flaws in Jharkhand’s safety net for women. While initiatives like Savitribai Phule Kishori Samriddhi Yojana aim to uplift adolescent girls, the ground reality paints a grim picture of unchecked lawlessness. Authorities must bridge this gap with robust policing and community vigilance to restore faith in justice.