On the night of February 9, Sada reportedly stepped out of her home to relieve herself, after which she was allegedly abducted and gang-raped by three local men, Rupesh Mandal, Chandan Sahela, and Tinku Mandal. According to her family, Sada returned home the next morning in tears. Rather than filing a police complaint immediately, local leaders organized a Panchayat (informal village mediation) on February 11 and February 12 to settle the matter and barred the victim’s family from approaching the police. The panchayat reportedly fined the perpetrators Rs 140,000 as compensation.
Rinku Sada was found hanging in her home on February 12. The police initially registered a First Information Report (FIR) for abetment of suicide, but expanded the investigation following media coverage and public outcry.
A panchayat leader has been jailed in the gang rape and suspicious death of 17-year-old girl Rinku Sada of Nawarajpur rural municipality-1 Bhagwatipur in Siraha. Ward member Nathuni Sah was sent to jail on Tuesday (Chaitra 12) by the Siraha District Court. Similarly, the court has demanded bail of one and a half lakh( 1,50,000) each from six other people who play a role in the panchayat, including two relatives of local Ramkripal Mandal, Vindeshwar Sah, Ramdev Sada, Kari Sada, and two minors accused of kidnapping and rape. The court has released the main accused of kidnapping and rape into the custody of the family. Local Ramvinod Mandal and Kamlesh Das have been ordered to be released on general dates (unconditional release). In this incident, ten people, including two minors accused of kidnapping and rape and eight people who organized a panchayat to settle the incident in the village, are still absconding.
