A young woman was allegedly harassed by three youths at Bihar’s popular Mandar Hill tourist spot in Banka district, with a purported video of the incident surfacing on social media, marking the third such incident reported in the state in a week.
The incident drew criticism from Union minister Chirag Paswan, who called the repeated incidents “shameful” and said the government could not “run away from accountability”. Bihar Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav also alleged that the incidents reflected a collapse of law and order in the state.
Police said a case was registered at Bounsi police station after they took cognisance of the video, which was received through WhatsApp on September 22. The footage appears to have been recorded on June 3, and an investigation is underway, police said in a statement.
According to the FIR, the woman had visited Mandar Hill with two friends when three youths allegedly abused and threatened them and behaved indecently with her.
One of the accused, identified as Abdullah, allegedly got Rs 1,500 transferred online from the account of one of the woman's friends before allowing them to leave, police said.
The other two accused have been identified as Nitish Kumar Rai and Vikas Kumar. Police said raids were being conducted to arrest the three accused.
A separate case has also been registered against those who allegedly circulated the purported video on social media and attempted to reveal the identity of the woman, police said.
The case comes days after a teenage girl was allegedly harassed in Jamui. In Samastipur, four people were arrested after a purported video showing a girl being harassed surfaced online.
Reacting to the incidents, Paswan said the issue could not be addressed merely through arrests or encounters and called for action against officials in whose jurisdictions such incidents occurred.
“Such incidents are happening in our presence. We should be so ashamed that we feel like sinking into the ground,” Paswan said, stressing that repeated incidents involving young women could not be ignored.
“Those officials should be identified and action taken against them -- under whose nose such major incidents are being carried out,” he said.
Paswan, who heads the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), said the government could not “run away from accountability” over the incidents.
Yadav, the RJD national working president, alleged that the three incidents in quick succession showed that law and order had “completely collapsed” in Bihar.
In a social media post, Yadav also alleged that the administration was influenced by the caste and social background of accused persons while dealing with criminal cases.
He questioned when those allegedly involved in the Banka incident would be arrested and sought an update on the five remaining accused in the Jamui case and the action taken against the four accused arrested in Samastipur.
“Will the chief minister respond only after checking their reels and caste,” he asked.
(With inputs from PTI)