The body of a 14-year-old deaf and mute girl, who was apparently bludgeoned to death, was found at a government middle school in Simanpur in Balbada police station area of Godda district on Sunday, triggering protests by local residents for over an hour in the morning.

The heinous crime, which police believe could be rape and murder, has once again put a question mark over the state’s law and order, especially concerning the safety of women and minors, at a time when the Opposition BJP has been crying hoarse about a spurt in crime in the state.

According to a local journalist, residents spotted the body lying in a pool of blood on the balcony of the government school when they had gone there to collect water from a hand pump. “Her face had severe bruises indicating that she may have been hit with a stone or heavy object,” he said, adding that the victim was a student of class IX.

Sources quoting the girl’s parents said she left home for some work on Saturday but did not return. Her parents then informed local police. In the morning, her body was found in the school.

Balbada thana’s officer in-charge Deep Narayan Singh said that an FIR had been filed against unidentified persons to begin a probe. “Prima facie it looks as though she was raped. But only an autopsy will confirm it. We have launched raids to identify and nab the culprits,” he said.

Mahagama Congress MLA Deepika Pandey Singh demanded chief minister Hemant Soren’s intervention to ensure strict action against the culprits. “The incident has rattled me very much. The culprits should be traced quickly and the strictest punishment be given to them for the kind of violence they perpetrated against a physically challenged girl,” she said.