A video from Bihar’s Jamui has left the country shocked after it went viral, purportedly showing two minors being confronted and harassed by a group of people. Following social media outrage over the video, opposition leaders reacted strongly as they criticised the ruling BJP and raised questions about the law and order in the state.
The police successfully identified around seven perpetrators using video analysis and arrested three suspects, who were identified as minors. Other opposition leaders also chimed in with their criticism. “Those who took the law into their own hands in the name of ‘moral policing’ must be held accountable by the police and the law. I apologise to you. We failed to protect you. We failed the trust you placed in the adults, institutions and society around you.”
Because somewhere, somehow, we as a nation failed you. Sept 21, afternoon: A Special Investigation Team (SIT), led by female Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO), Deepti Monali, was formed to track the perpetrators.
The FIR has been lodged under the POCSO Act and relevant sections of the BNS, and steps have been initiated for the “takedown of the video”, the SP said. Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi reacted to the video, calling it “deeply disturbing”. In a post on X, Gandhi said, “This is not culture, it is patriarchy,” Gandhi said, alleging that “andhbhakts” were responsible for such attitudes being “normalised”. The Congress leader demanded that the persons identified in the video be “prosecuted under POCSO” and asked the BJP-led government in the state “why a girl is not safe on a public road”. Former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee also slammed the BJP government, calling the video from Bihar “gut-wrenching” and “shocking”. No society can allow mobs to decide who deserves dignity, who deserves freedom, or who deserves punishment,” Banerjee said in a post on X. Addressing the children involved, she said, “I am sorry.
