Ranchi/Dumka:

The Jharkhand High Court on Monday took suo motu cognisance of the Spanish woman’s gang rape in Dumka district and asked the state government to file a report on the matter.

A division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Navneet Kumar issued notices to the DGP, chief secretary and the SP of Dumka in this regard.

The court will hear the case again on March 7.

Advocate Ritu Kumar had mentioned the incident before the bench and produced several news reports of it, following which the court took cognisance of the matter.

The court also appointed Ritu Kumar as amicus curiae in the case.

The bench has also ordered the Dumka SP to file an affidavit to inform the court what action has been taken against the perpetrators who have committed the heinous crime.

“The incident of crime of any kind against a foreign national may have serious national and international repercussions including impacting the tourism economy of the country. A sex-related crime against a foreign woman is likely to bring adverse publicity against the country and thereby tarnish the image of India across the globe,” the court observed.

The court also sought to know if the woman, who is Spanish, was provided with a translator for recording her statement before the police.

It also wanted to know whether scientific investigation in relation to rape has been initiated.

Meanwhile, the district administration of Dumka, on Monday, handed over a cheque of Rs 10 lakh to the survivor’s husband as compensation, an official said.

The woman was allegedly gang-raped on Friday at Kurumahat in Hansdiha police station area, around 300 km from state capital Ranchi, where she was spending the night in a tent along with her husband, police said.

The woman, 28, and her 64-year-old husband had reached Dumka from Bangladesh on two motorcycles, and were en route to Nepal via Bihar.

Deputy Commissioner A Dodde said the couple will leave Dumka on Tuesday under police protection.

“We are ready to extend any help they want,” he said.

The survivor’s husband thanked the police for speedy action.

Three people have been arrested so far, and a hunt is on for the remaining four accused.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Actor Richa Chadha on Saturday strongly reacted to the alleged gang-rape of a Spanish woman in Jharkhand and said it is a “shame on our rotten society”.

A Spanish tourist on a bike tour with her husband was allegedly gang-raped in Jharkhand’s Dumka district on Friday.

“Shameful! Indians are treating foreigners like they treat their own women. Shame on our rotten society,” Ms Chadha wrote about the incident in an Instagram post.

The incident occurred late Friday night in the Hansdiha area of Dumka when the couple stopped at a deserted place to spend the night at a makeshift tent.

They reportedly reached Jharkhand from Bangladesh on a two-wheeler and were en route to Nepal via Bihar. They were also reportedly beaten by the men who allegedly raped the woman.

Three people have been arrested in the case and police have launched a manhunt to catch the remaining accused, a senior official told the news agency PTI.

A special investigation team (SIT) has also been formed to probe the incident, the official said.

“7 Men Raped Me”

The Spanish woman spoke about the horrific incident in an Instagram video message and said that seven men had raped her.  

“Something has happened to us that we would not wish on anyone. Seven men have raped me,” the woman, with bruises all over her face, said in the message.

“They have beaten us and robbed us. Although not many things because what they wanted was to rape me,” she added.

Dumka Civil Surgeon Baccha Prasad Singh told PTI that the woman, aged around 28, and her 64-year-old husband were undergoing treatment at Phulo Jhano Medical College and Hospital in Dumka where they reached on motorcycles from Saraiyahat Community Health Centre, covering a distance of about 60 km with police escort.

“Both are out of danger and are undergoing treatment at the hospital. The man has sustained minor injuries. The medical examination of the victim will be done by a medical board comprising three gynaecologists, a radiologist, an orthopaedic and a dentist, headed by superintendent of the medical college, Dr Anupuran Purti,” the civil surgeon was quoted as saying by PTI.

New Delhi:

A Spanish tourist on a bike tour with her husband was allegedly gang-raped in Jharkhand’s Dumka district, the police said on Saturday.

The incident occurred late Friday night in the Hansdiha area of Dumka when the couple stopped at a deserted place to spend the night at a makeshift tent.

Three people have been arrested in the case, the police said.

“The incident of gangrape occurred on Friday night,” Jarmundi Sub Divisional Police Officer Santosh Kumar told the news agency PTI.

The tourist couple was going towards Bihar’s Bhagalpur via Dumka and had stopped near the Hansdiha market to spend the night in the tent.

They reportedly reached Dumka from Bangladesh on the two-wheeler and were en route to Nepal via Bihar.

They were also beaten by the men who allegedly raped the woman.

The victim is currently undergoing medical tests at the Phulo Jhano Medical College Hospital in Dumka and further investigation is underway, the police said.