Patna: Bihar Minister Ram Kripal Yadav on Tuesday condemned the alleged molestation of a young woman in Jamui, describing the incident as extremely unfortunate and deplorable and said that families will have to give morals, not just education.
He also criticised Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi for raising the issue in a social media post and urged him not to politicise the matter.
Speaking to IANS, Yadav said the government had taken the incident seriously and assured that strict action would be taken against all those responsible.
“The Jamui incident is extremely unfortunate and condemnable. No matter how strongly this incident is condemned, it would not be enough. The government has taken the incident seriously. Strict action will be taken, and is being taken, against all those responsible. Under the POCSO Act, the accused who are arrested will be booked under the Act and given the strictest possible punishment,” he said.
Yadav said that people with such ‘low mentality’ needed to change with changing times.
“I think such things which are happening, in the age of change, such people who have such a low mentality, they will have to change themselves,” he told IANS.
“Families will have to give morals, not just education,” he added.
Reacting to Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi’s social media post on the Jamui incident, Yadav said, “Rahul Gandhi, do not politicise the issue. In the states where your governments are in power, although your governments are gradually losing power and only a few states may be left, look at your states and examine the performance of your governments. See how law and order was violated, how many rapes, robberies, dacoities, thefts, murders, mass killings and mass rapes took place during that period.”
Meanwhile, a viral video showing the alleged harassment of two Class 10 students, including a girl, in Bihar’s Jamui district has triggered a political confrontation, with Opposition leaders questioning Bihar’s law-and-order situation and the ruling alliance defending the administration’s response.
The incident reportedly took place on September 19 in a hilly area near the Jamui-Lakhisarai border. According to police, the two students had left after attending coaching classes and were returning on a scooter when a group of youths allegedly stopped them.
A video of the incident later surfaced on social media, showing the two students surrounded and subjected to inappropriate behaviour. The girl was allegedly molested, while the boy was assaulted. The circulation of the video prompted police action and widespread political criticism.
LoP Gandhi criticised the Bihar government over the incident and questioned why all those allegedly involved had not yet been arrested. In a post on X, Gandhi described the video as disturbing and said the students had allegedly been stopped, harassed and humiliated.
He demanded that all individuals visible in the footage be identified and prosecuted under the POCSO Act and called for speedy justice.
LoP Gandhi also questioned the safety of girls travelling on roads in Bihar and sought an explanation from the state government over the alleged delay in arresting all those involved.
RJD National Working President Tejashwi Yadav also targeted the Bihar government, sharing the video on X and alleging a deterioration in law and order.
He claimed that women and female students were no longer safe in the state and accused the NDA government of failing to protect women, students, poor people and Dalits.
(IANS)
