Ranchi: Jharkhand police have confirmed the involvement of Pathalgarhi activists’ in the gangrape of five women activists in Kochang village in Khunti district of state on June 19. Along with it, the investigative team stated that Pathalgarhi activists had only abducted three bodyguards of BJP Khunti MP Karia Munda.
Speaking exclusively to the TLM on Thursday, Additional Director General (Operations) R K Mallick stated that more than 1,000 security personnel of the state police are hunting in the area to arrest the accused involved in the gangrape of women activists and abduction of three bodyguards of former Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker.
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With three arrest have been made so far in the case – Fr. Alphons Aind, principal of RC Mission School in Barudih; Ajub Sandi Purti of Bandgoan and Ashish Longo of Sonua – the senior police official said that all of them have accepted their linkage to the gangrape case and have confessed before the court under section 164 of CrPC. He also said that all of them have confirmed the involvement of Pathalgarhi activists in the case.
Crying a foul, the Christian Missionaries have alleged that the state government, administration and women’s commission are falsely implicating missionary people, pressing nine cases against Aind, but the ADGP made it clear that they have ample amount of proof against the accused.
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Mallick said, “We are proceeding legally. All the accused have accepted their crime in front of the court and have also confirmed the involvement of Pathalgarhi movement. We also have the statements of victims, submitted to the court. So, I do not want to comment on what the missionaries are saying.”
Though the missionaries in Jharkhand have asked for a fair, independent and unbiased probe into the matter of alleged gangrape case, villagers in Khatanga-Ghaghra village Khunti stood against the police personnel on Wednesday, who were searching for the three abducted bodyguards of local MP. In the face-off, several villagers were injured and their traditional weapons like bows and arrows, axes and farm tools were seized.
According to the initial reports, the three bodyguards were abducted by the Pathalgarhi movement activists on Tuesday after the trio tried to stop them from demarcating the area, declaring it to be an ‘free land’.
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However, the parliamentarian (Karia Munda) justified the police action against the Pathalgarhi activists stating that no other option was left for the security personnel to control the people who do not believe in the laws of land and create law and order issues.
Until the report was filed, no further arrest have been made so far in the gangrape case of five women activists who went to perform a street play on generating awareness on issues of migration and human trafficking. Also, the abducted bodyguards could not be traced.