The alleged harassment of a minor girl in Bihar’s Jamui district has triggered a political row, with Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, RJD working president Tejashwi Yadav and Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor criticising the ruling NDA government.
The BJP-led coalition, which stressed that the accused were arrested soon after the incident came to light, was defended by NDA partners, including Union ministers Rajiv Ranjan Singh “Lalan” and Jitan Ram Manjhi, who invoked the “jungle raj” that allegedly prevailed when the state was ruled by the RJD.
Vadra, who was in her parliamentary constituency of Wayanad in Kerala, reacted to the incident, which took place last week but came to light only on Monday.
“It is horrible. Crimes against women are on the rise... what is the point in talking about big schemes and programmes if we cannot ensure the safety of our women while they are out in the streets,” asked the Congress leader.
Earlier on Monday, her brother and Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi had issued a strongly worded statement calling the incident “deeply disturbing” and demanding that all the accused be booked under the POCSO Act.
Yadav, who is the leader of the opposition in the state Assembly, told a press conference: “Bihar has been shamed by the incident in Jamui. Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary should resign, owning moral responsibility. The episode symbolises a collapse of law and order”.
He also came down heavily on NDA leaders such as Shrawon Kumar, a minister and the JD(U)’s legislature party leader, and the party’s state president Umesh Singh Kushwaha for calling the incident 'stray', alleging that the remarks smacked of “insensitivity”.
However, Lalan and Manjhi hit back at the RJD leader, alleging that the security situation in the state was much worse when his party was in power.
Lalan, a former JD(U) president, said in a video statement, “The incident in Jamui is spine-chilling. We all stand by the victim’s family. The Samrat Choudhary government will ensure that the culprits are brought to book”.
Without mentioning Yadav by name, he claimed that Bihar’s opposition leaders were politicising the issue. "They would do well to recall the period before 2005, when our national president Nitish Kumar took over as chief minister. In those days, no girl or woman could muster the courage to step out of their homes after sunset,” he said.
Manjhi, who was a minister in the government of Yadav’s mother Rabri Devi, targeted the RJD leader, pointing out that most of the accused belonged to his caste.
“Let us give you the latest update on the Jamui incident. Tejashwi ji keeps saying that every Yadav in Bihar-UP is his brother. Now, some of these brothers harassed the girl and shot a video to defame our government”, alleged the Hindustani Awam Morcha president.
Manjhi, a former Bihar chief minister, also said Yadav would now complain about his brothers being beaten up. "I shall warn him that he better restrain his brothers, else the Samrat Choudhary government, which stands for good governance, will get after them,” he said.
The minor girl and a boy, who were said to be studying at the same coaching centre, were intercepted by a group on a road and allegedly harassed. Video clips circulating on social media purportedly showed the girl being groped.
Two accused in the harassment of the boy and girl in Bihar’s Jamui district were nabbed by police on Tuesday following an encounter in which both were injured, an official said. With this, the total number of people held in connection with the September 19 incident has reached five.
State minister and BJP leader Shreyasi Singh, who represents the Jamui Assembly seat, said, “The incident involving a place I am proud of pains me. But I do not wish to put the perpetrators into any category other than that of anti-social elements. I am glad that most of them have been arrested.”
Singh, 35, who was a professional shooter before entering politics, however, drew criticism by saying “if moral policing is required, it can be done decently”. The video clip was shared by Congress on its social media handles as an “example of the BJP’s patriarchal mindset”.
Kishor also criticised the NDA government and deplored the “stray” remark, while saying Yadav’s criticism of the government’s law-and-order record was weakened by the RJD’s own record in this area.
“The incident is appalling and scary. Such incidents have been on the rise since Samrat Choudhary, who himself has criminal antecedents, rose to the seat of power,” alleged the Jan Suraaj Party founder.
He also said the three minors nabbed by police could “end up going scot free like Choudhary, who was convicted in a murder case in the 1990s, but was let off based on a false age certificate that he produced before the court”.
The former poll strategist, who has maintained equidistance from NDA and INDIA bloc, added: “When Tejashwi Yadav speaks of law and order, it sounds like a tiger expounding the virtues of vegetarianism. If the BJP and its allies have been able to rule Bihar for over 20 years, it is only because memories of the jungle raj still haunt its people”.
The BJP shared on its X handle a social media profile of the main accused in the case, calling him "a disciple of Lalu Prasad", the RJD president.
However, Prasad's daughter Rohini Acharya hit back, citing alleged support extended by BJP leaders to accused in rape cases such as Kathua, Hathras and Bilkis Bano.