On April 24, as many as 25 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were killed in a Naxal ambush in Burkapal area of Chhattisgarh's Sukma district. A few days later Raipur Central Jail's Assistant Jail Superintendent Varsha Dongre commented over the Naxal issue and condition of tribals.
However, the post which was in Hindi was deleted later. Dongre could not be contacted for her comment on the issue. However, her comments kicked off a storm online thanks to their explosive nature.
Here are a few lines from the now deleted post, which was originally posted in Hindi -
"I have been a witness to the torture of minor tribal girls. In stations, 14 and 16-year-old girls have been stripped and tortured. They have been electrocuted on their hands and breasts...I have seen the marks...I was horrified...Milk is squeezed out of women's breasts to check if they are Naxals or not..."
Dongre also lamented the capitalist system, saying, "Those killed on both sides are Indians only. The capitalist system is being forced on the inhabitants. Tribals are forcibly evicted, villages are torched and women raped. All of this is being done to illegally capture their land, not to end Naxalism."
Dongre even mentioned that the Indian Constitution gave everyone rights to their lands, and no one should be harrassed for it. In the end, she questioned the government, demanding to know why no one was allowed to enter the region if nothing was wrong there.
Chhattisgarh's jail department later ordered an inquiry over the "objectionable" comment.
"A preliminary probe was ordered over an objectionable comment reportedly made by an assistant jail superintendent Varsha Dongre, posted at Raipur Central Jail, on a social media," Deputy Inspector General (Jail) KK Gupta told PTI.
Earlier, the department had received information that Dongre had reportedly posted some comment on social media over Naxal and tribal related issues after the last week Maoist attack in Sukma, he said.
Deputy jail superintendent R R Rai has been assigned to probe the matter to ascertain whether such comment was made by the officer or not and what was the objective of the comment, the DIG said.
Besides, Dongre will also be given a chance to present her side, he said, adding further action will be taken accordingly. The state government had already issued guidelines for the government officials for posting anything on various social media platform, he said.