June 22,2018:

Five young women engaged in Anti-Trafficking campaign through a NGO were allegedly gang-raped in Khunti District of Jharkhand.

Incident took place on June 19 when all women, including a married one, had gone to R.C. Mission School in Kochang Village under Arki Police Station of Khunti District, some 90 km from Ranchi.

Women associated with Khunti-based NGO were engaged in Anti-Human Trafficking campaign through Nukkad Natak (street plays) in the area.

Police Officials stated that some motor-cycle borne armed men abducted the women who were performing at the R.C. Mission School took them to secluded place and gang raped them.

Culprits recorded the incident on their mobile phones and threatened the women it would be made ‘viral’, if they would approach Police.

Ranchi Range Deputy Inspector General of Police, A.V. Homkar stated that,“The perpetrators released the women after three hours... a case has been lodged and manhunt is being launched to arrest those involved in this heinous act”.

According to Police Sources, Three separate teams of Police have been constituted to nab the criminals, some of whom have also been identified.

Police added that those involved in the crime are also engaged with Pathalgadi (stone engraving) movement in the area.

Pathalgadi is a tribal movement picking up in Jharkhand villages where giant stone plaques are erected declaring their gram sabha as the only sovereign authority and banning ‘outsiders’, including government officials, from their area.

However, those involved with the movement have denied their involvement and have stated that it was all police propaganda to defame them.

Source Hindu

Picture Source :