Hazaribag/ Ranchi: A day after police claimed to have cracked the case of the 12-year-old girl’s murder in Hazaribag, in which the mother and two others were arrested, the victim’s elder sister on Friday challenged the “police version,” raising serious concerns over the probe.Speaking to the media in Hazaribag, she said, “My brother is perfectly healthy.” Police have maintained that the killing was linked to human sacrifice, alleging that the mother and two others murdered the girl as her son was unwell.The elder sister further alleged, “The main conspirator behind the crime is still absconding and has not been arrested so far. My mother has not even sacrificed a goat—how can we believe she committed such a crime?”Meanwhile, public anger over the incident spilled onto the streets on Friday, with a rally taken out from Kusumbha to Vishnugarh under the banner of the Sampoorna Sankat Mochan Foundation.Led by Amisha Prasad and former district council member Yasoda Devi, hundreds of protesters marched with placards and slogans, demanding capital punishment for the accused.Amba Prasad, national secretary of the Congress and part of the ruling alliance in Jharkhand, on Friday also accused the police of presenting a “concocted story”.Addressing the media in Ranchi, Amba, a former MLA from Barkagaon, said, “According to the police statement, the deceased’s mother is the killer. However, as per the original FIR, she is the informant. Has the FIR been altered? Because now the informant herself has become the accused. From whom will the police get the FIR validated in court?”She added, “As per the original FIR, the complainant named Dhaneshwar Paswan and others. Who are they? Have they been questioned? What was the outcome?”She further alleged lapses in the investigation, claiming that the police failed to secure the crime scene and left it open for nine days. “Why was it left unsecured? There are several gaps in the police version. Statements recorded by police will not hold in court unless properly substantiated,” she said.Hazaribag police declined to comment when contacted.
