RANCHI: Allegations of repeated sexual abuse of a woman inmate inside Ranchi’s Birsa Munda Central Jail have triggered a political and administrative firestorm in Jharkhand, with opposition leaders accusing senior prison officials of orchestrating a systematic cover-up.
The controversy erupted after former Jharkhand Chief Minister Babulal Marandi wrote to Chief Minister Hemant Soren alleging that the jail superintendent sexually exploited a woman prisoner in judicial custody, leading to her pregnancy. Marandi further alleged that prison authorities, including the Inspector General of Prisons, attempted to suppress the scandal by destroying medical and forensic evidence, manipulating records and transferring potential witnesses.
According to the allegations, the inmate was secretly taken to outside hospitals under the pretext of treatment to eliminate biological evidence linked to the pregnancy. Prison employees aware of the developments were allegedly shifted to different locations to silence them.
Marandi warned that failure to immediately remove and arrest the accused officials would establish “direct complicity” of the state administration in shielding custodial crimes.
The Jharkhand government has yet to announce any suspension, arrest or independent probe, intensifying demands for intervention by the High Court, National Human Rights Commission and National Commission for Women.
The scandal has raised disturbing questions over the safety of women inmates and the collapse of accountability within Jharkhand’s prison system — where, critics say, those entrusted with enforcing the law now stand accused of violating it from within.
