Girl found hanging in madrasa in Jharkhand's Godda; family cries rape

Godda (Jharkhand), Aug 28 (PTI) A 14-year-old girl was found hanging inside a madrasa in Jharkhand’s Godda district on Thursday, a police officer said on Thursday.

Her family accused the maulvi of the madrasa of raping the girl, a student of the institution located in Mahagama area, which prompted her to end her life.

The maulvi, identified as Abdul Razzak (60), informed the police at around 7 am about the incident.

Mahagama Sub Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Chandra Shekhar Azad told PTI that the body of the girl has been sent for post-mortem examination at Godda Sadar Hospital.

"We are not going by the allegations, but will wait for the post-mortem report to ascertain whether it was suicide or something else. Prima facie, it appears to be a case of suicide. She used a dupatta (scarf) to hang herself from the ceiling of a room," said Azad.

The SDPO said that the victim’s family is yet to lodge a formal complaint against anyone.

A maternal uncle of the girl alleged that she was sexually assaulted by the maulvi.

"Why was her body removed from the room and placed at another spot? There are injury marks on the cheeks. We suspect that the maulvi sexually assaulted her which prompted the suicide," he said. There have been similar allegations against the maulvi in the past, he claimed.

Local Congress MLA Dipika Pandey Singh, who is also a minister, demanded a proper investigation into the incident and strict action against the guilty. PTI CORR NAM NN