Just days after the assault of a Class 10 girl in Bihar’s Jamui district, four persons were arrested on Thursday after a purported video showing a young woman being physically harassed and verbally abused in broad daylight surfaced on social media in neighbouring Samastipur district.
The latest incident came to light on Monday after a video purportedly showing three-four people behaving indecently with the girl went viral on social media. But TNIE could not independently verify the authenticity of the video. Police initiated action after the video was widely circulated and arrested four suspects. An investigation is underway.
A statement issued by Samastipur Police on Thursday said, "The video, which went viral on social media, was technically verified, and the incident occurred near a bridge in Jagat Singhpur village. The incident is believed to be about a week old. An FIR was registered under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, POCSO Act and IT Act in connection with the incident."
"During social media monitoring on Wednesday evening, police noticed a video purportedly showing three to four persons behaving indecently with a girl, who appears to be a minor. As her identity could not be immediately established, police registered a case based on the available facts and swiftly identified and arrested all four accused allegedly involved in the incident," it said.
JD(U) leader Rajeev Ranjan condemned the incident and said those involved in such acts would face legal action. He also warned against recording and circulating such videos on social media.
Leader of Opposition in Bihar Assembly, Tejashwi Yadav, condemned the incident and questioned the law and order situation in the state.
"The public molestation of a minor girl in Samastipur is yet another grim indictment of the law and order situation in BJP-ruled Bihar. Will the shameless minister dismiss this too as a 'stray incident'?" he said.
"When the chief minister is accused of protecting criminals on the basis of caste, such lawlessness is bound to flourish. Will the 'caste expert' CM first check the accused's caste before acting -- or try to suppress the case? And will Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi now find some 'kinship' in this case too? Shameful," Yadav added.
Police have reportedly registered an FIR against around 120 social media profiles for sharing the Jamui footage, which could reveal the identities of the minor victims. Kundan Kumar, Faiyaz and Ramashish Kumar have been arrested in connection with the case.
Police teams are conducting raids to apprehend other suspects. One accused, who was injured during a police encounter, is undergoing treatment at Jamui Sadar Hospital.
The Jamui police have appealed to people not to share videos or posts that could disclose the identities of minor victims.
(With inputs from ANI)