PATNA: Taking serious view of the alleged rape of five women by unidentified youths in Bihar's Bhojpur district yesterday, Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi today directed Bhojpur District Magistrate and Superintendent of Police (SP) to probe the incident and submit a report to the state government within seven days.
Manjhi also directed the Bhojpur district administration to take stern action against the accused men by ensuring their arrest within 24 hours and in the event of any of them being still at large properties of such accused be confiscated and a charge sheet filed against them at the earliest.
The Chief Minister asked the district administration to carry out a speedy trial of the accused persons to bring them to justice.
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Manjhi further directed the district administration to provide assistance to all victims under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and provide them alternative employment avenues under various state government schemes meant for welfare of women.
The affected families should also be given houses under the Indira Avas Yojana (IAY), pension under government schemes and benefits under welfare and development schemes to ensure financial well being of these families, he directed.
Meanwhile, the Superintendent of Police (SP) Rajesh Kumar told PTI that two accused persons, identified as Jai Prakash Singh and Jaggu Ojha have been arrested, while raids were being carried out to nab the third accused Neel Nidhi Singh.
He said that an FIR has been lodged at Sikarhatta police station against three accused men under relevant provisions of the law for allegedly raping the dalit women.
Kumar, who visited Kurmuri village under Sikarhatta police station to investigate the incident, said that a sixth woman has come forward to claim that she too was raped by three men yesterday.
He said that an assistance of Rs. 90,000 each has been provided to all six victims.
The victims have been taken to a government hospital for medical examination, the SP said, adding a report was being awaited to confirm whether these women have been raped or not.
Meanwhile, Bhojpur district magistrate Pankaj Kumar Pal said that statements of all six women have been recorded under section 164 of CrPC in which they have narrated sequence of events relating to alleged rape by three men, two of whom have been arrested.
The six women have been taken to a government hospital for medical examination where all arrangements have been made for lodging and food
A charge sheet against the accused persons will be filed in a court within next seven days and a speedy trial will be held to bring the culprits to justice over the next three months, Pal said on phone from Bhojpur.