CBI probe demanded into Bihar girl’s suicide

The family of Kanchanbala Jha, a college student, who committed suicide in Bihar’s Sitamarhi district following continuous sexual harassment and subsequent “police inaction”, Thursday demanded a CBI probe.

“We have lost faith in Bihar Police and want a CBI probe into the case,” Kanchanbala’s mother Nisha Jha said.

The main accused in the incident is Birendra Sah, a clerk in the Sitamarhi collectorate and his friend Lovely Kumar.

Kanchanbala’s mother said she was continuously harassed and the police refused to provide security to her. She ended her life Aug 23 and in her suicide note blamed Sitamarhi SP Vivek Kumar “for not taking any action even though ruffians kept on chasing her”.

“The police are responsible for her suicide,” Nisha Jha said. Kanchanbala was a BSc (Honours) student of SRK Goenka College in Sitamarhi.

The victim’s father Udaykant Jha, who himself is a policeman (hawaldar), also demanded a CBI probe into the incident and had sent an over 40-page petition related to the incident to the NHRC seeking justice.

On the directive of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Inspector General Sobha Ohatker had visited the family Wednesday to inquire into the circumstances leading to her suicide.

“Kanchanbala had left a seven-page suicide note accusing the local police, including Sitamarhi SP Vivek Kumar, of not taking any action even though ruffians kept on chasing her, passed unsavoury remarks and even kidnapped her brother just to force her to give ‘indecent favour’ to them,” a district official said.

In June last year, Birendra and Lovely forced the girl to pose in an indecent manner with the former, and the entire act was filmed to blackmail her. The incident took place at the residence of Kanchanbala’s friend Puja, according to her suicide note.

Uday Kant said his daughter, along with her brother, went to Dumra police station to lodge a complain about the confinement and photographing. But the policemen advised them to reach a compromise. Birendra gave it in writing that he will never harass the girl.

But last month, Birendra allegedly abducted Kanchanbala’s brother Manish on his motorcycle, thrashed him and later released him. Before Manish could lodge a complaint, Birendra rushed to the Dumra police station and lodged a complaint against him.

After that Kanchanbala met Sitamarhi SP Vivek Kumar July 12 and Birendra was arrested but was released on bail at the police station itself.

Kanchanbala again approached the SP Aug 19 as she was being continuously threatened by Birendra. But reportedly fed up with “police inaction”, she committed suicide Aug 23.

After hue and cry by the opposition and women’s rights activists, Birendra was arrested and Dumra SHO Ramanand Prasad suspended by SP Vivek Kumar.