On Saturday, the Bihar administration took decisive action in Banka district by demolishing illegal huts and encroachments on government land. This operation is reportedly connected to three absconding suspects in the Mandar Hill minor molestation case: Mohammad Abdullah, Nitish Kumar, and Vikas Rai. The move underscores the government’s commitment to addressing illegal land occupation amid ongoing investigations into the case.
The action follows a video purportedly showing a young woman being harassed by a group of men at the popular tourist destination of Mandar Hill in Bihar’s Banka district was extensively shared on social media, days after similar incidents were reported in Jamui and Samastipur.
The BJP’s Bihar MLC Sheela Pandit also complained against RJD MP Misa Bharti, alleging she revealed the identity of the Jamui victim. Police were conducting raids to arrest the three. An FSL team also inspected the spot and collected evidence. The Banka and Jamui cases come amid a series of videos showing the assault or harassment of minors and women surfacing from the state. Similarly, in Madhubani, police took cognisance of a month-old video showing a girl being assaulted in an agricultural field. Four accused were identified, and an SIT was formed. Police warned that the victim’s identity must not be disclosed under the POCSO, JJ and IT Acts. In Samastipur, another video showed a minor girl being abused and assaulted, the third such incident there in recent days. The girl is seen pleading as youths slap her. Bharti had accused Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary of a similar lapse.
“Under the leadership of Block Development Officer Baunsi, encroachments made by illegal hutment construction of Abdullah, Vikas and Nitish on the government land were removed with the help of bulldozers and administrative force,” said Banka SP Amitesh Kumar.
