Tribal girl to get bravery award

Sumita, who has been chosen for the national bravery award for her unparalleled gallantry, is not an ordinary girl. Faced with seething humiliation and insult, she did not lose faith in the administration and was courageous enough to identify six of the accused.

President Pratibha Patil will honour Sumita Murmu, hailing from Bartala village under the jurisdiction of Rampurhat police station in Birbhum district, with the coveted award on Republic Day, official sources told Deccan Herald here on Saturday. Sumita was in love with a person who did not belong to the tribal community. And one of the villagers had reportedly seen her in an intimate moment. The news spread like a wildfire and Sumita was in a state of shock when she was forced to strip and march through the village roads as per the order of the tribal village chiefs in February last.

One of the comrades-in-crime had captured photographs of her nude parade in his mobile phone and some of those pictures were later published in newspapers in July this year.

Based on the media report and photographs, the police lodged a complaint suo motu and started investigation following which six were arrested. Sumita, who was asked by the police to help identify the arrested, showed little fear.

She  identified all the six during the identification parade. The tribal girl, despite being aware of the consequences she and her family might face later, did not shy away from bringing the culprits to book.

The district administration, in recognition of her courage, recommended her name to the state authorities for the coveted national bravery award and the recommendation has been accepted. The incident had sent shockwaves across the state as this kind of nude parade of a girl ordered by village heads has not been heard of in recent times.
National bravery award was introduced by the Indian Council for Child Welfare to recognise deeds of bravery by children.