Jharkhand BJP chief Tala Marandi’s son, Munna Marandi has been accused by the Congress of marrying a minor, while another minor girl has alleged that she was sexually abused by him for two years.
The minor had put in a complaint against Munna when she appeared before the State Commission for Women (SCW) alleging that she was sexually exploited by the BJP chief’s son after he promised to marry her.
The Assault
He (Munna) first saw me during the poll campaign in 2014… Later, he met me a few times. On 1 January 2016, he came to wish me Happy New Year. I was alone in the house. He forced himself on me. When I resisted, he promised marriage… When my mother and elder sister came, I told them everything. Over a period of time, he began taking me to various places. Believing in his promise of marriage, neither I nor my family opposed.Minor to The Indian Express
Compounding Munna’s problems, District Congress president (Godda) Deepika Pandey Singh has also accused Munna of marrying a minor on 27 June.
The reception, held on 28 June, was reportedly supposed to host Chief Minister Raghubar Das, who allegedly cancelled his scheduled appearance at the last moment to avoid any controversy.
I have written to the National Commission for Women, the Governor and the SCW seeking their intervention. Based on media reports, it appears that Marandis have put in jeopardy the lives of the minor girls.Deepika Pandey Singh, District Congress President
The Marriage
It all started when Munna was accused of sexually exploiting a minor girl whom he had promised to marry. The girl filed a complaint with Godda court against Munna. The 16-year-old also appeared before the State Commission for Women (SCW) alleging that she was exploited with false promises of marriage.The Godda district court directed that an FIR be lodged against Munna in connection with the case.
By that time, Munna was scheduled to marry one Mamata Hansda, but she refused to marry him over the complaint of sexual exploitation. Tala then allegedly got Munna married to one Ritu Baski on June 27. As per school records, Ritu is just 11 years old.
The State Commission for Protection of Child Rights sought a report from Godda district administration and directed that an FIR be lodged if Munna had indeed married the minor girl.
Later, the Godda district administration filed a civil suit against Tala and Munna in connection with the issue. The lawsuit accuses the girl’s father too.
Meanwhile, opposition parties JMM, JVM-P and Congress have demanded impartial probe and action against the accused.
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