Kolkata, Sep 21 (PTI) Law and order in Bihar is totally secure and women are free to step out at any time, Union minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh said in response to the alleged harassment of a teenage boy and a girl by villagers in the neighbouring state’s Jamui district.
Singh, also the Janata Dal (United) national president, said that law and order in a state cannot be judged based on a single incident. The party is a key constituent of Bihar’s ruling coalition.
The police in Jamui district on Monday arrested three people while a search was on for others allegedly involved in the harassment of a boy and a girl by the roadside, a video of which has triggered outrage on social media.
“Law and order in Bihar is totally secure. If any incident takes place, the police ensure appropriate action on it,” Singh, the Union panchayati raj and fisheries minister, said on the sidelines of a review meeting at New Town near Kolkata.
“Those who are raising questions on this issue, like Rahul Gandhi, should ask their ally RJD about it,” the Union minister said, claiming that no woman dared to venture out after sundown during the RJD’s 15-year rule.
In a post on X, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi described the incident as “deeply disturbing”.
“This is not culture, it is patriarchy,” Gandhi said, alleging that “andhbhakts” were responsible for such attitudes being “normalised”.
The video in question, which purportedly shows the two being harassed by a group of people, has drawn criticism on social media as well as from political leaders.
PTI, however, could not independently verify the video’s authenticity. PTI AMR NN
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