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Journalism of Courage
Barely a month after Madhya Pradesh launched a campaign against child marriages, a government official was attacked by an unidentified youth and her hand chopped off last evening after she inquired into a complaint against such marriages in the tribal-dominated Dhar district.
Police said no arrest has been made so far in connection with the attack in Rajgadh’s Bangarh village on Shakuntala Verma, a supervisor with the Child and Women Welfare Department. Verma has been shifted to an Indore hospital where her condition is said to be serious.
Police said the attack on Verma took place at about 7.30 pm yesterday when a youth approached Verma at her house in Rajgadh, seeking help to trace an address in the locality.
While Verma was reading the paper, which had the address, the youth attacked her with a sharp-edged weapon. While one blow chopped off her hand, the other hand was badly injured in repeated attacks. The youth fled before neighbours could reach the spot, police said.
Verma was alone at her Rajgadh house when the attack took place. Police said her husband Jagdish Verma stays at Manpur village near Mhow, along with her nephew Sushil, and used to visit his wife during weekends.
Verma had been entrusted by Dhar’s Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) to inquire into a complaint by a Bangarh villager that some child marriages were being planned on May 11, Akshay Tritya day. Dhar, officials said, accounts for nearly 60 per cent of child marriages in the state.
Verma reportedly visited the village on May 3 and met some villagers as part of her inquiry. Apparently, there was also an altercation between some villagers and Verma after the complainant, Gopal, denied that he had approached the SDM.
Pramod Phadnekar, DIG, Indore range, told The Indian Express that investigations are on and the motive behind the attack was still not clear.
‘‘After she inquired about a complaint of child marriage in Bangarh on May 3, she had sent a report to the SDM claiming that she had found no evidence to suggest that a child marriage was in the offing. Linking the attack to her reported objection is jumping to a conclusion. Anyway, we will record Verma’s statement and initiate further action,’’ said Phadnekar.
Dhar Collector D P Ahuja confirmed that Verma had submitted the report to the SDM.
However, Verma’s relatives insisted that she had received threats in the last week after she went to Bangarh. ‘‘She had received threats and she had informed her husband about them,’’ said Sushil, Verma’s nephew.
DGP Phadnekar said police were collecting details about child marriages that had allegedly taken place in the village in the last one week and were also planning to question Gopal.
