Two women from Dumka, including a minor, have been forced into a life of isolation following relentless threats of acid attacks, rape, and murder.
The gravity of their plight came to light during a Mahila Jan Sunwai (Women’s Public Hearing) held on Saturday, prompting the National Commission for Women (NCW) to take cognizance of the matter.
NCW chairperson Vijaya Kishore Rahatkar, who presided over the hearing in Dumka, expressed deep concern over the administrative gaps that allowed such threats to persist.
“Safety is a non-negotiable right,” Rahatkar told a section of the media after the hearing.
A police official close to the matter said she asked local police during the hearing to provide immediate round-the-clock protection to both the victims.
“The commission asked for an expedited investigation to identify and apprehend the perpetrators behind these violent threats. The women had directly approached the NCW before giving any information regarding the matter to the police,”the police official said.
A woman social worker said the intervention was part of the NCW’s flagship “Rashtriya Mahila Aayog Aapke Dwaar” initiative, aimed at bringing justice directly to the doorsteps of women in rural and semi-urban areas.
“Beyond this specific case, the chairperson held high-level meetings with Jharkhand’s divisional commissioners, IGs, and district collectors. She gave a clear message to tighten the state’s legal machinery to ensure that no woman is forced into silence by the threat of violence,” the woman social worker said.
Dumka superintendent of police Pitamber Singh Kherwar could not be reached for comment on the matter.
