Teenage girl struggling for life after being shot by Maoists

RANCHI - A teenage girl was shot by Maoist rebels in Jharkhand’s Latehar district for slapping rape charges on a Maoist leader, police said Friday. The victim is struggling for life in a hospital here.

Maoist guerrillas shot three bullets into 17-year-old Anju Kumari Thursday. She was injured critically and has been admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Rajendra Institute of Medical Science (RIMS).

“Anju sustained three bullets in her stomach. Her condition is critical,” a doctor said.

Anju was shot when she was riding her bicycle in an area close to Latehar railway station. She was stopped by three motorcycle-borne Maoist rebels including the Maoist commander Pappu Lohra, who allegedly pumped three bullets into Anju’s stomach and then fled, police said.

According to police, Anju was shot because she was bold enough to lodge a first information report (FIR) against Lohra for abducting and raping her.

“Anju was shot because she dared to raise a voice against Maoists. She had lodged an FIR against Pappu Lohra. Anju had accused Pappu of raping her for two days in a jungle after abducting her,” a police official told IANS.

According to local journalists, Maoist rebels alleged it was the handiwork of the police to lodge fake rape charges against Lohra.