Instead of handing over the police and courts to the gangs who raped Dalit girls, those who sat in panchayats and tried to settle the matter have not been arrested yet. Not only the rapists, but the leaders who plan to share the fines collected from them by the police have been lenient and they have now managed to escape.

Rupesh Mandal, the main accused in the gang-rape and suspicious death of Rinkukumari Sada of Musahari toll in Navrajpur-1, Bhagwatipur, is in custody. Mandal was arrested by the police from Dasgaja area located in Sirha-17 on Wednesday. Two accused in the rape incident and five people who had tried to settle the panchayat are still absconding. 

 17-year-old Rinku was found dead hanging in her house on January 30. Three days before that, she was gang-raped. Rinku was raped on the evening of January 27 when she went to the field near her house to defecate. According to her family, she returned home at 4 am the next day with her clothes torn and mud on her body. She said that she was raped when her mother inquired after seeing her holding her stomach and crying. He said that while he was defecating, Rupesh suddenly came and offered to have physical contact and when he refused, others came and took turns in Karesabari. 

After there was a rumor in the village, instead of sending the victim to the police, a panchayat was held in the village to settle the matter. The panchayat, which was attended by about 30 locals, announced that the accused would give Rs 151,000 to Rinku's family and the victim's family would not go to the police. After that, after Rupesh's relatives requested, the fine was reduced to 140,000. The panchayat leader also tried to share the amount that was supposed to be given to the victims. 

According to Rinkumari's aunt Kagatidevi Sada, accused Rupesh's relative Rampukar Mandal came to the house on the morning of January 30 and pressed for the transaction. According to the victim's family, he threatened to get 40,000 out of 140,000 by himself, 50,000 by Panch, 25,000 by Musahar leader and 25,000 by Rinku's family. 

There was also a dispute and fight between the accused group regarding the payment of money. Rinku was found hanging on the evening of January 30 when no one was at home after repeated threats from the perpetrators to negotiate a deal. ``They were threatening to get married, Rinku was also scared after the panchayat,'' mother Sita Devi Sada said. 

The day after Rinku was found dead, uncle Ramsevak Sada Musahar reached the local police office to file a complaint. He wanted to file a complaint against the accused Rupesh, Chandan and Ramvinay for the crime of abetment of suicide against Rampukar, who threatened and extorted him. When the police of the case area asked to bring the names down, they tried to file a complaint only against Rupesh, who was accused of kidnapping and rape, and Rampukar, who threatened, but it was not registered. According to Ramsevak, the police themselves filed a complaint against Rupesh for inciting suicide.

After increasing public criticism, the police have also filed a supplementary complaint. In it, Chandan Sah and Ramvinay Mandal have been named as the main accused of rape along with Rupesh, while the names of ward member Nathuni Sah, who formed a panchayat to settle the incident in the village, along with former ward member Rampreet Sah and local Rampukar Mandal, Ramkripal Mandal and Vindeshwar Sah have been mentioned. 

Chandeshwar Mandal, Ramvinod Mandal and Kamlesh Das, who were not mentioned in the complaint, were arrested by the police on February 11. According to the police, they are close to the accused named in the complaint and also played a role in the panchayat. According to the police, a detailed investigation has been started on Rupesh, who was caught on Wednesday, with a two-day deadline from the Sirha District Court. 

The police believe that with the arrest of Rupesh, it will be easier to search for other accused. "The arrest of the main accused in the incident is a big achievement for now," SSP Shantiraj Koirala, coordinator of the committee formed to investigate the incident, said, "The remaining seven people are being searched by a special team of the police at various locations." Now the state, district and area police are investigating separately. Ever since the incident became public, Rinku has been protesting for justice. Speaking in the National Assembly last Sunday, Home Minister Ramesh Ukhar promised that the culprits of this incident will be punished. 

Social activist and writer Ramrizhan Yadav says that this incident has exposed the ugly face of the society and the state. He alleges that the society, which should have helped in the legal battle after the incident became public, did more atrocities on the victims in the name of Panchayat and even when everything was public, the state became a party. "Those who have the duty to put ointment on the victim's wounds have done the work of adding salt, this trend is prevalent in Madhesh," he said, "when the state mechanisms are proving ineffective, the media is becoming the voice of the victim." Bijul was living in India and Birendra was living in Bhairahawa due to employment. They arrive home after Rinku's death. Now they have no source of income as they came home from work.