Remote Village at Center of Gang Rape Controversy
The journey to Kochang village from Ranchi takes approximately two hours, covering 80 kilometers through dense forests and winding roads. When journalists visited this remote settlement on Friday, they found a community in turmoil following the horrific gang rape of five women who were performing a street play.
The village appeared deserted, with stone plaques at the entrance announcing the Pathalgarhi movement's declaration of village autonomy and prohibiting outsiders' movement. Kochang is among several villages in Khunti district where this indigenous rights movement has gained significant political and social momentum recently.
Gram Sabha Decides Protest Strategy
Despite the initial intimidating appearance, villagers offered no resistance to visitors. All community members were attending a gram sabha meeting representing 20-25 nearby villages, convened specifically to discuss the week's traumatic events.
The 300 villagers expressed fury at police actions and official statements, unanimously deciding to launch a statewide strike if what they termed as "biased investigation" continues. One villager stated, "We will discuss how to get our people, who were wrongly arrested, back. This is a search meeting for the alleged gang-rape."
Timeline of the Incident and Aftermath
The tragedy unfolded on Tuesday when five women were allegedly abducted from a Roman Catholic private school in the village during their street play performance and gang-raped. The following day, police implicated supporters of the Pathalgarhi movement in the crime and detained three individuals from the village school for questioning.
Villagers claimed they were unaware why these individuals were taken and expressed deep concerns about their welfare. Isolated from mainland Khunti, the community of Kochang feared what might happen next.
John Johans Tiru, a member of Kochang gram sabha who chaired the meeting, declared, "We are going to launch a severe state-wide agitation if the headmaster and other teachers are not released." Interestingly, police released the detained individuals barely an hour after the gram sabha concluded, though many villagers shared John's militant stance.
Pathalgarhi Movement and Constitutional Demands
Kochang village officially inaugurated its Pathalgarhi movement on February 25 this year. The massive stone slab declares autonomy for its gram sabhas, citing constitutional provisions under the Fifth Schedule.
Pathalgarhi inaugurations are significant events, with invitations sent to the President, Prime Minister, Chief Minister, and surrounding villages. The nearby Khatanga-Ghaghra village is scheduled to inaugurate its own Pathalgarhi next Tuesday.
When asked why police connected Pathalgarhi to their investigation, villagers explained that the movement has faced consistent administrative pressure. "Arrests are not new for us. Police picked up a student here two days ago. We were never told what the charges were," revealed one villager.
A gram sabha member emphasized, "From sedition to obstruction of development, various reasons are made up to arrest people associated with our movement. The assumption is that Pathalgarhi operates outside constitutional norms. Actually, we demand that constitutional provisions protecting our rights be implemented."
Future Plans and Village Security
The gram sabha scheduled its next meeting for Sunday, where villagers are required to contribute Rs 20 per person for proper functioning of the governing body. Announcements were made about recruiting gram sabha suraksha sadasya (security members) on Sunday.
These security members, termed as adivasi sena (tribal army), will be entrusted with village protection using traditional weapons, reflecting the community's determination to maintain autonomy while dealing with the ongoing crisis.
