Minor gangraped, tonsured, paraded in Bihar; 6 detained

Six people were detained on Tuesday in connection with a shocking case in which a minor girl was gangraped and later tonsured and paraded through her village as punishment by the panchayat in Gaya district of Bihar, police said.

According to the police, the girl was kidnapped in a vehicle by a group of men on August 14 evening, when she was out to relieve herself. She was forcibly taken to the roof of the local Panchayat building, where she was repeatedly raped till she lost her consciousness. A villager spotted her the next day and informed the family, which brought her home.

However, the village Panchayat, which is allegedly under the influence of the powerful relatives of the accused, instead of helping the victim ordered a punishment for her. She was tonsured and then paraded through the village.

An FIR was registered at the women police station on Monday, 11 days after the incident took place in Masaundha village of Mohanpur block in Gaya. The police acted only after the victim and her mother met top district police officials on Saturday.

"Six people have been detained so far," said Niranjana Kumari, Women Police Station Officer Incharge.

"All the five Panchayat members, who held the meeting and ordered the punishment, have been named as accused in the case under the POSCO Act and have been detained. Besides, Devlal Yadav, who was identified by the victim as one of the six accused of the gangrape, has also been detained. The victim has so far not been able to identify the rest of the accused in the gangrape case," said Ravi Bhusan, Officer-Incharge, Mohanpur police station.

Taking suo motu cognisance of the incident, Bihar Women Commission's Chairperson Dilmani Mishra has written to the Gaya Senior Superintendent of Police seeking a report on the case and asking him to produce all the Panchayat members before the Commission on September 2.