Jharkhand

News India Xtra@newsIndiaxtra

An FIR has been filed against Congress MLA Bhushan Bara in Jharkhand under the POCSO and Juvenile Justice Acts over a rape allegation, Hatia DSP Niraj Kumar said on Friday.

Bara, who represents the 70-Simdega seat, has dismissed the charges as a fabricated conspiracy by his political opponents. BJP leaders and workers protested in Ranchi the same day and demanded his arrest without delay.

Seema Sharma, president of the Jharkhand BJP Mahila Morcha, wants him removed from office, and Ranchi City BJP chief Varun Kumar Sahu has warned of continued protests if he is not arrested.

News India Xtra@newsIndiaxtra

Tribal activist Nisha Kumari Bhagat, reported to have taken her own life in Ranchi, will be cremated in Uru village in Gumla on Saturday.

Before her death, she accused the Hemant Soren government and land brokers of harassment in a Facebook Live video. The BJP wants a CBI probe and the chief minister's resignation, while CPI(ML) Liberation, a government ally, seeks a fair inquiry.

Her father also wants a CBI inquiry. Police have logged an unnatural death and found no suicide note, and the Ranchi Rural SP says next steps depend on the post-mortem report.