Dumka killing: POCSO charge added, special court to hear case for speedy disposal

A special court will hear the Dumka schoolgirl murder case after the case was transferred from the court of a Special Judicial Magistrate for speedy disposal.

A special court in Jharkhand will hear the Dumka case, in which a girl, later identified as a minor, was burnt alive by her alleged stalker, Shahrukh, for spurning his romantic advances. The accused Shahrukh will also be charged under relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012.

This comes after the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) urged the Superintendent of Police (SP) to add POCSO charges to the case after it found that the victim was under the age of 18.

Meanwhile, the Dumka case has been transferred from the Court of Special Judicial Magistrate (SJM) to a First Additional District and Sessions Court (a fast-track court) for speedy disposal. All documents related to the case have been handed over to the special court which will hear the case.

The incident took place on August 23 in Dumka town in Jharkhand. The accused Shahrukh allegedly poured petrol on the Class 12 girl from outside the window of her room when she was sleeping and set her afire.

The minor girl was admitted to a hospital with 90 per cent burns. She died on Sunday, August 28.

Before succumbing to her injuries, the victim gave a statement to the police, in which she said that the accused called her on her mobile around 10 days ago, pestering her to become his friend.

Shahrukh was arrested and is currently in police custody. Another person, who allegedly had supplied petrol to Shahrukh, was also arrested by the police. The second accused has been identified as Chotu Khan alias Naeem.