Purnia killings: Probe hints at apathy, land and superstition
PURNIA, July 11 -- With a probe underway in connection with the grisly killing of five members of a Tribal family in Purnia, the investigation is believed to focus on three points- apathy, land and superstition.
The probing team reportedly investigates the tragic incident from three angles- alleged apathetic attitude of the government departments, exorbitant price of land in the village and superstition.
Divisional commissioner (DC) Rajesh Kumar who visited the village on Tuesday got furious over the apathetic attitude of local administration.
He raised serious questions over the functioning of government machineries. The incident which continued for six hours barely 4 kms from the police station also raised a serious question over police patrolling.
"The investigating team has raised questions over the functioning of schools and health services in the village," a highly placed source said, adding "People hardly send their children to schools and ailing people to hospital."
There is a primary school at Dargah about one km from Tetgama village where five members of a family were brutally beaten and later burnt alive on Sunday night. "Yes, there is a school but it is not in good condition as it has neither furniture nor proper functioning of Mid-Day-Meal scheme," villagers rued.
Even when HT visited the school on Tuesday, there were very few children and two teachers who admitted "MDM is not being cooked for the last few days as there is some problem in cooking gas cylinders."
Functioning of block administration is also under the scanner. "You know the village is lying 6 to 7 km from the jurisdiction of Purnia Municipal Corporation and land brokers have started shifting their business in these villages leading to the unexpected rise in the price of land," locals alleged.
"Most of the Tribal people are illiterate and hence the land brokers resort to nasty tricks to grab their land," victims' relative Kusum Lal Oraon said and alleged, "The prime accused Nakul Oraon is not only an occultist but also a land broker and he engineered the gruesome incident with the help of his friend Mohammad Sanaul also a land broker to create panic among the villagers so that they could sell their land to them at a very cheap price.
A question is also being raised over policing as the village is hardly 4 km from village and the police didn't have the information regarding the incident while it continued for over six hours.
Police have so far arrested three out of 23 named and 150-200 unidentified accused in the FIR lodged by survivor Sonu Kumar, son of deceased Babu Lal Oraon.
The two prime accused -Nakul Oraon and Mohammad Sanaul, the third arrested person Chhotu Oraon and they were sent to jail after interrogation.
"Raids are underway to arrest the remaining accused," Uttam Kumar, SHO of muffasil police station where the FIR was lodged, said. The police registered an FIR against 23 named persons and 150-200 unknown persons on the complaint of Sonu Kumar, son of Babu Lal Oraon, who luckily escaped.
On Sunday night, about 150 people hacked the five members of a family including Babu Lal Oraon, his mother Kanto Devi, his wife Sita Devi, his son Manjit Kumar and daughter in law Rania Devi and burnt alive. Police recovered their roasted bodies four kms from the house on Monday evening....
To read the full article or to get the complete feed from this publication, please
Contact Us.