Jharkhand Constable Arrested on Rape Charge Inside Police Station; Five Personnel Suspended

A police constable in Jharkhand's Seraikela-Kharsawan district has been arrested after a woman accused him of raping her inside the Gamharia police station, where she had been brought after a domestic dispute. The police said on Saturday that five other personnel, including the station's officer-in-charge, have been suspended for dereliction of duty in connection with the incident on the night of October 29.

According to the police statement, the woman told officers that she had an altercation with her husband that evening and left home, fearing he would beat her. She went to a neighbour's house and contacted the police on her mobile phone. A PCR van reached the house and brought her to the police station that night.

The officers on duty gave her a room in the police station to rest. While she was in the room, the accused — a wireless operator posted at the station — raped her, the statement said.

Superintendent of Police Manoj Swargiary directed the Sub-Divisional Police Officer (Seraikela), Anubhav Bhardwaj, to investigate the allegation. On the basis of the SDPO's report, the police arrested the accused, and a court remanded him to judicial custody.

The Superintendent of Police also suspended the officer-in-charge of the Gamharia police station and four other staff members on charges of dereliction of duty, irresponsible conduct and indiscipline. All five have been attached to the police lines, the statement said.

The police have seized the clothes the accused was wearing at the time of the incident, and the process of sending them to the Forensic Science Laboratory in Ranchi for examination was under way.

The incident drew a sharp political reaction. Jharkhand BJP president and Rajya Sabha member Aditya Sahu claimed that such incidents have become common in the state because the police administration is not afraid of anyone. He alleged that police officers obtain postings by paying money to their superiors, and that such officers facilitate the theft of sand, iron ore and coal under the patronage of those in positions of authority. He said this was why people had lost faith in the ruling coalition of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, the Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal.

The case has directed attention to the safety of women who approach police stations seeking protection, particularly at night, and to the accountability of personnel entrusted with that duty. The suspension of the station's supervisory staff indicates that the police hierarchy is treating the alleged failure of duty as a serious matter.

Under Indian law, the identity of a survivor of sexual violence cannot be disclosed, and this report does not name her or provide details that could identify her. The accused has been arrested and remanded to custody; he has not been convicted, and the investigation is continuing.