Court hearing in missing girl’s case takes a turn: Mother says she was attacked at home, branded a witch

During the hearing of the habeas corpus petition, Urain alleged that she was attacked at her house around 10.30 pm on Tuesday. “I was alone at home. My son is away at work. While I was sleeping, some people from the village came and assaulted me,” she told The Indian Express.

She alleged that the attackers strangled her, tied her hands, beat her and threatened to return at night to kill her.

When The Indian Express contacted the police for a comment, they said they had sent personnel to her house to provide protection.

When the matter was taken up in court, her counsel, Shailesh Poddar, informed the division bench of Justices Sujit Narayan Prasad and Arun Kumar Rai that Urain was under threat to her life after being branded a witch and that her complaint had not been registered by the local police. It was further submitted that the matter had been compromised at the behest of the police.

Taking note, the court directed the Court Master to request the Member Secretary of the Jharkhand State Legal Services Authority (JHALSA) to join the proceedings so that proper verification could be conducted by sending the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) team to the place of occurrence. The court also asked why the complaint was not lodged by the local police.

The Superintendent of Police, meanwhile, assured the court that necessary steps would be taken to ensure that there was no danger to the life of the petitioner.

The matter has been listed for further hearing.

Mahendra Karmali, the Gumla police station in charge, told The Indian Express that when Urain came to the police station, they were ready to register an FIR, but she said the accused persons asked her to forgive them. “She did not want to proceed and asked us not to file the FIR. However, after the court intervention, we filed the case,” he said.

However, advocate Poddar said that the compromise was done under pressure before reaching the police station. “In many similar cases, women are forced to compromise, and later they are again targeted and even killed. After the incident, we filed an application. The FIR must be registered,” he said.

Urain said she fears for her life. “I have stopped doing prayers, stopped eating meat, and I am still being called a witch. I stay alone and do not want to get in trouble. I already live in fear,” she said.

Village head Lalu Lakra told The Indian Express that the police have taken cognisance and security has been provided. Lakra said she will take up the matter during the village meeting to ensure that no harm is done to the woman.