A female complainant who approached the police late on Thursday night over a domestic dispute was allegedly raped inside the Gamharia police station in Jharkhand’s Saraikela-Kharsawan district. The incident has triggered widespread outrage and swift administrative action, leading to the suspension of the officer-in-charge alongside five other police personnel. The accused constable, identified as wireless operator Neeraj Lakda, has been arrested following a formal complaint lodged by the victim. According to officials, the woman had sought refuge at the station after an altercation with her husband, only to be subjected to assault inside an adjoining room on the premises.
Night of the Assault and Desperate Resistance
According to the complaint registered at the police station, the complainant had gone to the local market with her husband on Thursday night, October 29. An altercation broke out between the couple on their way home, prompting the woman to flee out of fear after her husband consumed alcohol and turned violent. Seeking shelter from the rain, she stopped near an acid plant gate around 9:30 PM and later managed to call for police assistance with the help of a local resident. A Police Control Room patrol vehicle subsequently arrived and transported her to the Gamharia police station around midnight.
Upon arrival, personnel at the police station instructed the woman to rest inside an adjacent room. Shortly afterwards, constable Neeraj Lakda entered the room and assaulted her. The complainant stated that although she raised an alarm to defend herself, four police personnel who arrived upon hearing her cries left without providing any assistance. Facing imminent danger, the victim grabbed a fruit knife kept in the room and struck the accused in self-defence, cutting his finger and causing blood to stain her clothing.
Attempt to Cover Up and Station Eviction
The morning after the assault, another policeman allegedly approached the victim, handed her 700 rupees taken from constable Lakda, and forced her into an auto-rickshaw bound for the railway station. The personnel threatened her and warned her to return to her maternal home rather than pursue the matter. However, near the Gamharia station, the woman encountered her husband and returned home to recount the ordeal. Accompanied by her husband, she subsequently visited the police station on Friday to register a formal complaint, setting off immediate ripples across the district police administration.
Superintendent of Police Manoj Swargiary ordered the suspension of officer-in-charge Sanjay Prasad, Sub-Inspectors Manoj Sahu and Aniruddh Singh, Havildar Muneshwar Kumar, and Constable Santosh Rai for negligence and grave dereliction of duty. Accused constable Neeraj Lakda was placed under suspension and taken into custody. Inquiries revealed that the accused had previously faced allegations in 2025 regarding the harassment of two women while in an intoxicated state.
Special Investigation and Crime Scene Sealing
Taking note of the gravity of the custodial offence, the district police constituted a Special Investigation Team headed by Saraikela Sub-Divisional Police Officer Anubhav Bharadwaj. The SDPO visited the police station, questioned the personnel present, and assured the complainant of an impartial inquiry. Investigators immediately cordoned off and sealed the room where the incident occurred to prevent tampering with physical evidence.
A three-member forensic team dispatched from Ranchi inspected the sealed crime scene, recovering the knife, clothing with bloodstains, and hair samples. The victim was escorted to the Saraikela Sadar Hospital for mandatory medical examinations. Sub-Inspector Kumari Tiloma from the local women’s police station has been assigned to lead the investigation. Meanwhile, a detailed factual report has been submitted to DIG Anuranjan Kispotta, who confirmed that further disciplinary action would follow after an assessment of the departmental findings.
