Jharkhand CM orders Rs 10 lakh compensation to family of girl burnt in Dumka

Ranchi, August 29: Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren has announced an ex-gratia amount of Rs 10 lakh to the next of kin of Ankita, the girl who was set ablaze by a stalker on August 23 and succumbed to her injuries on Sunday while undergoing treatment.

Hemant Soren said his government is working to bring strict punishment to the man who set ablaze a 19-year-old woman in Dumka. The accused has been arrested.

“Such people should not be forgiven, they should be given the strictest of punishments. Laws should be brought in to further strengthen the existing laws for such incidents,” Hemant Soren said.

“A lot of evil acts are being seen in society. This incident is heart-wrenching & the law is taking its course. The accused has been arrested. It is our effort to see that he is punished at the earliest,” said Soren.

Acting on the order, Dumka district administration on Monday handed over a compensation of Rs 9 lakh to the next of kin of a teenager, who was set on fire by a man in Jharkhand’s Dumka district recently, an official said.

The Class 12 student succumbed to her burn injuries at a government hospital  at Ranchi on Sunday.

The National Commission for Women during the day sought an action taken report from the police within seven days.

An amount of Rs 1 lakh had already been provided to the family when the woman was being shifted from Dumka to Rajendra Institute of Medical Science, said deputy commissioner Dumka Ravishankar Shukla.

Governor Ramesh Bais announced an immediate grant of Rs 2 lakh to the family of the victim from his discretionary grant, an official release said.

Bais also directed the DGP to probe the role of the local police in the incident and said the trial of the accused should be held in a fast track court, the release said.

The chief minister said the case will be taken up by a fast-track court for speedy disposal.

“The Director General of Police has been directed to submit an early report on the progress of the investigation, which should be conducted by ADG rank officer,” the CM said in a Twitter post.

The NCW on Monday said it has written to the Jharkhand Police chief, calling for a fair investigation into the death of a woman who was set ablaze by a man for not reciprocating his overtures and sought an action taken report within seven days.

Another person, who allegedly had supplied petrol to the main accused, has also been arrested, said Dumka Superintendent of Police Amber Lakra

The second accused has been identified as Chotu Khan alias Naeem, he said.

The incident happened in Dumka town on August 23 when the accused, identified as Shahrukh, allegedly poured petrol on the woman from outside the window of her room when she was sleeping and set her on fire, the police said.

The deceased had been first admitted to Phulo Jhano Medical College and Hospital in Dumka in critical condition with 90 per cent burns and later referred to RIMS . The accused in the case has already been arrested.

The woman’s body was cremated amid tight security in Dumka on the banks of the Mayurakshi river on Monday, police said.

Heavy security has been deployed at all prominent places of Dumka town to avoid any untoward incident. The administration had clamped prohibitory order in Dumka sub-division on Sunday.

Jharkhand’s director general of police has sent additional director general of police (headquarter) Murari Lal Meena and inspector general of Crime Investigation Department (CID) Asim Virant Minz to Dumka for review of the investigation, a police statement said.

Meanwhile, the father of the victim has demanded capital punishment for the culprit.