Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday demanded that the individuals accused of harassing a young boy and a girl in Bihar’a Jamui district be prosecuted under The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 (POCSO).
Video of incident goes viral; police, women’s commission respond
An FIR was registered under POCSO and other relevant sections after the incident came to light. “Every individual in that video must be identified and prosecuted under POCSO, and justice must be swift. Harassed. Humiliated. Molested. A young girl, hands folded, begged to be let go while goons groped her and dragged her away.
In his post, Gandhi said the Bihar government “must answer why a girl is not safe on a public road at 7 pm.
“This is not “culture. It is patriarchy: the belief that any man can police a girl’s body, her movement, her choices,” the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha said while questioning the Bihar government on public safety. Jamui Police in a statement said a special investigation team (SIT) had been formed, and three accused had been arrested in connection with the matter. And if the incident happened on September 19th, why are the culprits not behind bars yet?” he said. Terming the video of the incident as “deeply disturbing”, the Congress MP flagged the incident, saying, “Two Class 10 students were stopped on a road. Meanwhile, Bihar State Women’s Commission president Apsara Mishra said she would write to the SP and seek further information about the incident. “We have also spoken to the Jamui DM, who provided detailed information about the incident,” she added.
