Seven people have been detained and a police officer has been suspended in the brutal murder of activist Valsha John in Jharkhand's Pakur district, police said on Friday.
"Seven people have been detained in connection with the brutal murder of Valsha John. We are interrogating them. We have suspended officer in charge of Amrapara police station, Banarsi Prasad for dereliction of duty," Santhal Pargana range Deputy Inspector General of Police, Vinay Kumar Pandey said.
Around 40 people on Tuesday night raided Pachuwara village in Pakur district, around 500 km from Ranchi, and hacked John, 52, to death.
John, who hailed from Kerala's Ernakulam district, came nearly a decade ago to Pakur as a teacher in a mission-run school. Later, she opened a school and taught students up to Class 4.
Coming out in support of people who were opposing displacement due to the Panem coal mines in 2001, she earned the respect of the tribals for spearheading the movement. She later opened a school on land provided by the Panem coal mines.
Police claimed that she later developed a soft corner for the coal company and started staying away from the district. They suspect role of local tribals in the murder of Valsha JOhn, and rule out the possibility of involvement of the coal mafia.