Jharkhand BJP chief Tala Marandi has founded himself embroiled in a huge controversy after his son, Munna Marandi, was alleged to have married an underage while another minor girl alleged she was sexually abused by him for two years.
According to a report in Indian Express, a minor girl on Wednesday appeared before State Commission for Women (SCW) and submitted an application against Munna for allegedly sexually exploiting her in the name of marriage.
Meanwhile, District Congress president of Godda, Deepika Pandey Singh, accused Munna of marrying a minor on 27 June. According to some reports, the girl believed to have been married by the BJP chief’s son is just 11-year-old.
Singh said, “I have written to the National Commission for Women, the Governor and the SCW seeking their intervention. Based on media reports, it appears that Marandis have put in jeopardy the lives of the minor girls.”
SCW chairperson Dr Mahua Maji said the Commission had taken cognizance of the complaint and had written to the DGP. The minor girl in this case had approached a Godda court earlier.
Maji, however, said she was yet to receive any official complaint regarding the girl whom Munna married.
BJP spokesperson Pradip Sinha said he knew nothing beyond media reports.
Pramod Sharma, the girl’s lawyer at Godda court, said: “We had filed a case seeking registration of FIR against Munna Marandi for sexually exploiting the minor girl… On 23 June, the court had asked Boarijore police station in Godda to investigate the matter.”
Godda SP Sanjeev Kumar maintained the police had not received any court order.
The girl, aged around 16, told The Indian Express: “He (Munna) first saw me during the poll campaign in 2014…Later, he met me a few times. On January 1, 2016, he came to wish me Happy New Year. I was alone in the house. He forced himself on me. When I resisted, he promised marriage…. When my mother and elder sister came, I told them everything. Over a period of time, he began taking me to various places. Believing in his promise of marriage, neither I nor my family opposed.”
