MUZAFFARPUR: The Muzaffarpur Municipal Corporation (MMC) Monday initiated the process for demolishing a shelter home building here, which is embroiled in a sex scandal, an official said.
The demolition will be done after preparing a seizure list of items there and videographing the process, the official said.
The corporation had on November 12 ordered complete demolition of the shelter home building on Sahu Road here. It was run by Brajesh Thakur's NGO Seva Sankalp Evam Vikas Samiti.
The scandal had come to light earlier this year when the Mumbai-based Tata Institute of Social Sciences in its social audit raised sexual abuse of inmates at the home -- 'Balika Grih'. Over 30 girls were allegedly raped at the shelter home.
A corporation official, while issuing the demolition order, said violation of the map design passed for constructing the shelter home building has been detected.
A team of corporation officers and employees reached the shelter home to prepare the seizure list of the items kept there, besides carrying out videography of the entire building and its items, MMC Commissioner Sanjay Dubey said.
He said the seizure list of the articles would be prepared in presence of a magistrate.
"The corporation had given one month to Manorama Devi, the mother of Brajesh Thakur and the owner of the building, to demolish it. After the time was over, the corporation started the process to demolish the building," Dubey said.
The corporation would soon start demolishing the building after preparing the seizure list and completing the videography of entire building, he added.
On the directive of the Social Welfare department, the commissioner has appointed the corporation's three staff as "receivers" to ensure safety of the items belonging to the department kept at the shelter home.
Meanwhile, Sub-Divisional Officer (East) Kundan Kumar has deputed two magistrates to complete the demolition of the building.
After the shelter home scandal came to light, Brajesh Thakur along with others were booked in the case on May 30, 2018. The state government later handed over the probe to the CBI.
Bihar Social Welfare Minister Manju Verma had resigned following the Muzaffarpur case, when it came to light that her husband Chandrashekhar Verma had spoken to Brajesh Thakur, the prime accused in the case, several times between January and June.
Manju Verma and her husband surrendered before a lower court in Begusarai in an Arms Act case lodged in the course of probe into the shelter home scandal.
The Arms Act case was lodged following recovery of a huge quantity of ammunition from her residence during a CBI raid.