A special POCSO court in Chhattisgarh’s Raigarh district has sentenced a 24-year-old man to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for abducting and repeatedly sexually assaulting a minor girl. The judgment was delivered by Special Judge Devendra Sahu after the court found the accused guilty under provisions related to rape and offences against children. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 6,000 on the convict. Officials said additional imprisonment would apply if the fine is not paid. The case was registered under the Kotra Road police station area and had drawn attention due to the manner in which the accused allegedly lured the victim.

Minor Went Missing From Home

According to prosecution records, the incident began on May 28, 2025, when the 16-year-old victim was staying at home with her grandmother while her parents had gone to attend the funeral of a relative. Police said the girl left home around 11:30 am after informing her grandmother that she was going to a nearby shop. However, she did not return, following which family members began searching for her. After repeated attempts failed, the family approached police authorities and a kidnapping case was registered. Investigators later launched a detailed search operation to trace the missing teenager.

Friendship Started Through Mobile

During investigation, police found that the accused, identified as Karan Dom, a resident of Patratoli in Jashpur district, had allegedly come into contact with the victim through a mobile phone conversation in 2024. Officials stated that the accused used an unknown number to communicate with the girl and gradually developed contact with her over time. According to the prosecution, the accused allegedly trapped the minor in a relationship by promising marriage and later convinced her to meet him outside her hometown.

Taken to Odisha and Kunkuri

Police investigation revealed that the accused first called the victim to Gerwani and then allegedly took her by bus to Kunkuri before travelling to Puri in Odisha. Prosecution officials told the court that the accused kept the girl confined in a house in Puri and repeatedly sexually assaulted her over a period of nearly five days. After staying in Odisha, the accused reportedly brought the victim back to Kunkuri in Chhattisgarh. The court observed that the victim was a minor and incapable of legally consenting to such acts.

Family Informed by Relative

According to the case details, on July 3, 2025, the accused and the victim reportedly reached the residence of the accused’s maternal uncle in Telain village. Police said the accused’s uncle later contacted the victim’s family and informed them about her whereabouts. Following the information, police teams immediately reached the location the next day and rescued the victim. Authorities simultaneously arrested the accused and initiated legal proceedings under the POCSO Act and other relevant sections of law.

Court Calls It Serious Crime

During the hearing, the special POCSO court observed that the accused knowingly abducted a minor girl and exploited her despite being aware of her age. The court noted that the accused not only misled the victim by promising marriage but also violated her dignity and personal safety through repeated sexual assault. Special Judge Devendra Sahu termed the offence serious in nature and held the accused guilty based on witness statements, evidence collected during investigation, and medical findings presented before the court.

Rigorous Punishment Awarded

The court sentenced the accused to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment and also imposed a monetary penalty. Officials said the prosecution strongly argued the case and sought strict punishment considering the gravity of the offence and the age of the victim. The trial was conducted by Special Public Prosecutor Govind Narayan Dubey on behalf of the state government. Legal experts said the judgment reflects the strict approach adopted by courts in cases involving crimes against minors under the POCSO Act.

Police and Legal Action Praised

Authorities stated that coordinated efforts between investigators and prosecutors helped secure conviction in the case. Police officials said timely tracing of the victim and evidence collection played an important role during trial proceedings. The case has once again highlighted concerns related to online contact, grooming through mobile communication, and exploitation of minors through false promises. Officials appealed to parents and guardians to remain alert regarding unknown contacts and suspicious communication involving children and teenagers.

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Four opium farms. Fifteen days. One state. And a question that will not go away — who is protecting the growers?

Chhattisgarh is in the grip of a rapidly escalating illegal opium cultivation crisis. On March 20, police and administration teams rushed to Amaghat in Tamanar block of Raigarh district after receiving information about illegal poppy cultivation. What they found was a thriving opium crop spread across approximately one and a half acres of farmland — the fourth such discovery in the state in just 15 days. A man from Jharkhand, identified as Marshal Sanga, has been taken into custody. He had allegedly taken the land from a local farmer in Amaghat on the pretext of growing watermelon and cucumber.

The ownership of the field, and whether anyone in a position of influence was providing protection to the operation, is currently under investigation.

A Pattern That Cannot Be Ignored — Four Cases in 15 Days

What makes the Raigarh discovery particularly alarming is not the case in isolation — it is the pattern it completes. In the span of just over two weeks, four separate illegal opium farms have been busted across Chhattisgarh, spanning multiple districts and involving a range of actors from ordinary farmers to a BJP functionary.

Case 1 — Durg, March 7: The first and most politically explosive case involved BJP leader Vinayak Tamrakar, former president of the BJP Kisan Morcha in Durg district, who had allegedly been cultivating opium illegally for five years at a farmhouse located between Samoda and Jhenjhari villages. The operation covered 5 acres and 62 dismil of land and was protected by bouncers posted at the farm. In the digital land survey records, the land had been falsely shown as wheat and maize cultivation. Police seized opium plants worth approximately Rs 7.88 crore and arrested Tamrakar along with two other accused.

Case 2 — Balrampur, March 10: Three days later, in Kusmi block of Balrampur district, police busted a 3.67-acre opium farm at Tripuri Ghosradadand. Approximately 4,344 kilograms of opium worth around Rs 4.75 crore was seized. Seven accused were arrested. However, the alleged mastermind — also reported to have political connections — remains at large.

Case 3 — Balrampur, March 12: Just two days after the Kusmi case, another opium farm was discovered in Korandha in the same Balrampur district. Around two and a half acres across three farmers' land was under poppy cultivation. The area borders Jharkhand and is remote, hilly terrain where human movement is limited — making it ideal cover for illegal farming. Villagers tipped off the authorities and the crops were uprooted.

Case 4 — Raigarh, March 20 (Today): The Amaghat case — involving an outsider from Jharkhand who rented local agricultural land under false pretences — brings the tally to four farms across Durg, Balrampur and now Raigarh districts within a fortnight.

Bhupesh Baghel Targets BJP Government

Former Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel wasted no time in going on the offensive. Posting on X, Baghel stated that the exposure of opium cultivation happening under BJP government protection is continuing across the state. He pointed to the manner in which the dry narcotics trade is being organised in Chhattisgarh as deeply dangerous. Baghel's sharpest attack was directed at the silence of the Chief Minister and the Home Minister, suggesting that their inaction reveals who the real masterminds behind this network are.

The Jharkhand Connection

A notable thread running through multiple cases is the involvement of individuals and networks from Jharkhand. The Raigarh accused Marshal Sanga is from Jharkhand. The Balrampur cases also involved areas bordering Jharkhand. Law enforcement agencies will need to examine whether a cross-state organised network is systematically identifying remote farmland in Chhattisgarh's border districts, using local farmers as fronts, and running large-scale illegal opium operations with support from inside the state.

A Governance Crisis in the Making

Four opium farms in 15 days — with values running into crores of rupees — do not emerge spontaneously. Operations of this scale require land, labour, local knowledge and above all, protection from detection. The arrest of a BJP functionary in the first case and the continued freedom of alleged political masterminds in the second case have given the opposition the ammunition it needs to put the ruling government on the defensive.

The Vishnu Deo Sai government must answer not just with arrests of field-level operators but with a credible, transparent investigation into who is enabling this network at a higher level. Chhattisgarh's drug problem will not be solved one uprooted farm at a time.

The Raigarh Tribal Girls Hostel controversy has triggered widespread outrage after a viral video showed minor students allegedly being made to paint walls and clean hazardous areas inside their hostel premises. The incident, reported from Chhattisgarh’s Raigarh district, has prompted the administration to order a formal inquiry.

The matter pertains to a pre-matric Adiwasi Kanya Chhatrawas located in Kodasiya village of Lailunga block. Nearly 40–45 girls from Classes 6 to 10 reside in the hostel. The viral footage shows students mixing paint, climbing onto ledges, and cleaning accumulated dirt from roof projections.

What the Viral Video Shows

The now-viral Chhattisgarh Hostel Viral Video shows:

 Girls painting hostel walls

 Students standing on elevated edges (chhajja) to remove dirt

 Buckets of paint being mixed by students

 No visible staff supervision during the work

Photos circulating online further reveal girls cleaning roof extensions before painting, raising concerns over safety and child rights violations.

The video reportedly surfaced after one of the hostel students recorded the activity and shared it on social media.

Administration Orders Inquiry

Taking cognizance of the Raigarh Tribal Girls Hostel issue, the Tribal Development Department has initiated an investigation. A three-member inquiry committee has been constituted by the Collector’s Office (Tribal Development Branch).

The committee includes:

 Dharmendra Singh Bais

 Dhaneshwari Sidar

 Umesh Patel

The team is scheduled to visit the hostel on February 28, 2026, to conduct an on-ground assessment and submit a detailed report. Officials have assured that further action will be taken based on the findings.

Warden’s Clarification

Hostel warden Purnima Chauhan has denied direct involvement. She stated that laborers were hired for painting work and that only minor cleaning of the kitchen area remained. According to her statement, during her absence, a peon allegedly asked the students to complete the pending work.

However, the explanation has raised further questions about supervision, accountability, and the safety of minor girls residing in the government-run facility.

Why This Matters Now

The Raigarh Tribal Girls Hostel controversy comes amid increasing scrutiny over student welfare in residential government institutions. Recently, a similar incident was reported in Mahasamund district, where students were seen sweeping and clearing grass on the first day of school.

Experts say such incidents reflect systemic issues in hostel management. Education rights activists emphasize that:

 Students cannot be assigned maintenance or hazardous tasks.

 Government funds are allocated annually for hostel upkeep (reportedly ₹25,000 per year in this case).

 Safety protocols must be strictly followed in residential facilities.

Child welfare advocates argue that beyond administrative action, structural reforms and regular inspections are essential.

Expert Perspective

Education policy observers note that residential hostels for tribal students are crucial for bridging educational gaps in rural areas. However, mismanagement can undermine trust in welfare schemes.

“Hostels are meant to provide safe learning environments. Assigning physical maintenance work to minors raises serious ethical and legal concerns,” a Raigarh-based education analyst said.

What Happens Next?

The outcome of the inquiry will determine whether disciplinary action is taken against staff members. The Tribal Development Department has stated that appropriate measures will follow as per established norms.

For now, the Raigarh Tribal Girls Hostel case has sparked debate over accountability in government-run educational institutions — and reinforced the need for stronger monitoring mechanisms.

As investigations continue, stakeholders await clarity on whether this was a lapse in supervision or a deeper administrative failure.