Patna: The National Commission for Women (NCW) has taken suo motu cognisance of an alleged incident involving the public harassment, molestation, and assault of a young girl at the Mandar Parvat tourist site in Bihar’s Banka district.
The action follows media reports and a video circulating on social media that allegedly shows a group of men surrounding and harassing the woman.
The video was reportedly edited in an objectionable manner and subsequently circulated online.
NCW Chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar has written to the Bihar Director General of Police (DGP), calling for a time-bound investigation, identification and arrest of all those allegedly involved and strict action under the relevant provisions of law.
The Commission has also directed that the further circulation of the video be stopped and called for necessary security, medical, legal and psychological support for the woman and her family.
The NCW has sought an Action Taken Report (ATR) from the Bihar Police within seven days.
It also stressed that the safety, dignity and privacy of women and girls must be protected.
Meanwhile, Banka police have detained three youths in connection with the alleged molestation and are questioning them, officials said.
According to the police, the girl had visited Mandar Parvat with two friends when a group of youths allegedly accosted and harassed them.
Police further alleged that the youths forced the girl to transfer Rs 1,500 through PhonePe before allowing her and her friends to leave.
The video of the incident surfaced widely on social media around three days ago, prompting police to register a case.
Preliminary investigation indicates that the incident itself occurred approximately two-and-a-half months ago, police said.
Banka Superintendent of Police Amitesh Kumar said the video came to the notice of the Bounsi police station on September 22.
After examining the footage, police suspected that the incident had taken place at Mandar Parvat.
The Station House Officer of Bounsi subsequently initiated an investigation, and a police team was sent to Mandar Hill to verify the location.
The investigation confirmed that the place shown in the video was located on the hill, following which an FIR was registered against unidentified persons.
Police then began efforts to identify those visible in the footage.
According to the SP, information about three youths allegedly seen in the video was obtained on Thursday night.
All three are residents of the Barahat police station area and have been taken into custody for questioning, police said.
Investigators are continuing to examine the video and other available evidence to establish the circumstances of the incident and determine the roles of those allegedly involved.
Further legal action will follow based on the findings of the investigation.
The NCW has also sought action under the POCSO Act if the victim is found to be a minor, along with applicable provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Information Technology Act.
(IANS)
