Jharkhand Panchayat Accused of Covering Up 3-Year-Old's Rape for Rs 20,000

Panchayat members in Gumla, Jharkhand, allegedly accepted Rs 20,000 from a teenage suspect's family to suppress a rape case involving a three-year-old child. The money was reportedly spent on a communal feast rather than being used to report the crime to authorities. Police visited the village on Sunday evening and arrested the teenage suspect. A magisterial inquiry has been ordered to determine whether panchayat members deliberately shielded the accused in exchange for payment. Authorities are now investigating both the alleged rape and the panchayat's role in concealing it.