New Delhi: Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary’s remarks about the Jamui harassment case, in which he linked the accused being caught to a video of the incident being made, have gone viral on social media.
Speaking about the incident, Choudhary said criminals should not challenge the police and warned that they would “get the answer in 24 hours”. He then referred to the growing trend of making reels and videos.
“People are being killed for making reels. You must have seen today’s incident. If he had not made a reel, would he have been caught?” Choudhary said, according to the video being circulated online.
The remarks come days after two Class 10 students were allegedly harassed by a group of men in Bihar’s Jamui district on 19 September. The incident, which was reportedly recorded on video, came to light after the footage surfaced on social media. Police subsequently arrested several people in connection with the case.
In the nearly one-minute-long video, nearly half a dozen men appear to be hurling abuse at a girl on a village embankment, demanding what she was doing there, that she reveal her identity and place of residence.
When they start assaulting her physically-pulling her hair, grabbing her, twisting her arm, pushing her-the girl threatens to call her brother to the scene. Her attackers in turn threaten to thrash her brother too. “Call your brother… ask where you are from… where is your home? Even your brother will receive the same treatment,” the men can be heard saying in the video.
‘Chhutput Ghatna’, ‘moral policing’ remarks
Choudhary’s comments are the latest in a series of remarks by leaders from Bihar’s ruling NDA that have drawn attention after the Jamui incident.
Bihar JD(U) Minister Shravan Kumar described the incident as a “sporadic” one, using the phrase “Chhutput Ghatna”, while defending the state government’s law-and-order record. He said the administration takes quick action when such incidents occur.
BJP’s Jamui MLA and Bihar minister Shreyasi Singh, meanwhile, spoke about “moral policing” while condemning the treatment of the two teenagers. She said people could have opinions about how others choose to live, but added that the way the boy and girl were allegedly treated was not acceptable.
The Jamui incident has since triggered scrutiny of law and order in Bihar, with the state government also forming a special investigation team to probe the case.