4 min readHazaribaghApr 3, 2026 06:27 PM IST
The arrest of a woman in the alleged murder of her minor daughter in Jharkhand’s Hazaribagh has snowballed into a political row.
The blood-soaked body of a 12-year-old girl was found in a pit last week after a Ram Navami procession, triggering protests by right-wing groups.
While police initially suspected rape, they later concluded it was a case of ritualistic sacrifice, leading to the arrest of three people: the girl’s mother, and two locals – a man and a woman. The ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha has claimed the man has links to the BJP.
Speaking to The Indian Express, the girl’s elder sister recounted what happened last Wednesday: “After returning from the procession, my mother asked where my sister was. I told her she was dancing with her friends. When she didn’t return, my mother asked us to search for her. She, too, went looking for her around 9 pm.” She insisted the mother had nothing to do with her sister’s death.
At a press conference on April 1, Jharkhand Police had said the post-mortem ruled out rape. “The girl’s mother and a local man were in a relationship, and the latter had significant control over the family,” Superintendent of Police Anjani Anjan told the media. “The mother was deeply worried about her son, whom she believed was physically and mentally weak. Over the years, she had been regularly visiting a local woman for remedies related to her son’s health, employment concerns, household issues and land disputes.”
On the day of the incident, the mother again went to the woman’s house with her daughter seeking a remedy, the police said.
“The woman allegedly told the mother that a male participant was required, following which the man she was in a relationship with accompanied them. The girl was made to sit inside a small temple-like structure, given prasad and told she would be cured of a defect. The child was taken to a nearby grove, where the man strangled and mutilated her with the help of her mother, and her blood was collected,” the SP said.
Story continues below this ad
The revelations prompted the ruling JMM to stage protests in Ranchi against the BJP, alleging that the suspect had links to the party. At a late-night press conference on Thursday, the BJP denied this and rejected the police’s human sacrifice theory.
“We do not believe in the police narrative of human sacrifice because, in that case, the person’s head has to be cut. Also, the narrative on social media that the man was from the BJP is fake,” BJP state president and Rajya Sabha MP Aditya Sahu claimed.
Former Congress MLA Amba Prasad also questioned the police probe and called for a CBI inquiry, alleging inconsistencies in the investigation. She also countered the BJP’s claims that the suspect had no links to the party, alleging that photos purportedly showed his participation in BJP events.
“A Special Investigation Team comprising senior IPS officers was constituted on March 26. No concrete evidence has been made public so far beyond the statements of the accused. No IPS officers from the SIT team visited the spot for four days to secure evidence,” she claimed, adding that the delay could mean “loss of crucial evidence”.
Story continues below this ad
Village residents had discovered the girl’s body in a pit on the morning of March 25, triggering outrage. According to the village head, the girl had gone to attend the procession with her family. “The procession was happening close by, and most families from the tola were there. She was with her family,” he had said.
