After Misa push, FIR against Bihar CMO steno for uploading CM photo with Pocso survivor family

The stenographer of the Bihar chief minister’s office (CMO) was booked on Friday under Pocso Act for allegedly uploading the picture of the Jamui harassment-molestation victim and her family on social media. It came amid a political row over the incident, with Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) lawmaker Misa Bharti claiming her complaint against CM Samrat Choudhary was not registered by the police.

Patna Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Kartikeya Kumar Sharma said the stenographer, identified as Sagar Kumar, has been charged with the case of uploading pictures of the Jamui victim in the X handle of the CM.

The SSP also said the complaint given by Pataliputra MP Misa Bharti where she had sought action over the revelation of Jamui victim’s identity would also be part of the investigation.

Misa Bharti arrived at the Secretariat police station on Friday seeking registration of a complaint under Section 23 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act, 2012, and Section 74 of the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015. She alleged that Choudhary had disclosed the identity of the Class 10 girl, who was molested in Jamui. The station house officer in-charge allegedly refused to register FIR.

“I ask whether the CM has violated the Pocso Act or not. First, the CM had done a PR exercise by calling the minor girl and posted the pictures on the X handle. I do not know whether the girl is the victim or her mother. But the post on X was later deleted while on the other hand, FIRs were lodged against those who made the video of the Jamui episode viral for revealing the identity of the minor. This is very contradictory,” she said.

RJD working president and leader of opposition in assembly Tejashwi Yadav demanded that a case under the same law be registered against the chief minister, accusing him of tearing the statute to shreds.

Dismissing the opposition’s allegations, state planning minister and JD(U) leader Bhagwan Singh Kushwaha said the RJD was “unnecessarily raking up the matter because it had no bona fide issues with which to connect with the people”.