Bihar govt demolishes huts linked to 3 absconding accused in Banka molestation case

The administration in Bihar’s Banka district on Saturday demolished illegal huts and encroachments on government land allegedly linked to three absconding accused — Mohammad Abdullah, Nitish Kumar and Vikas Rai — in the Mandar Hill minor molestation case.

The action follows a video purportedly showing a young woman being harassed by a group of men at the popular tourist destination of Mandar Hill in Bihar’s Banka district was extensively shared on social media, days after similar incidents were reported in Jamui and Samastipur.

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“Under the leadership of Block Development Officer Baunsi, encroachments made by illegal hutment construction of Abdullah, Vikas and Nitish on the government land were removed with the help of bulldozers and administrative force,” said Banka SP Amitesh Kumar. Police were conducting raids to arrest the three. An FSL team also inspected the spot and collected evidence.

The Banka and Jamui cases come amid a series of videos showing the assault or harassment of minors and women surfacing from the state.

Also Read: Bihar sees third harassment case in a week, woman assaulted at tourist spot

Similarly, in Madhubani, police took cognisance of a month-old video showing a girl being assaulted in an agricultural field. Four accused were identified, and an SIT was formed.

Police warned that the victim’s identity must not be disclosed under the POCSO, JJ and IT Acts. In Samastipur, another video showed a minor girl being abused and assaulted, the third such incident there in recent days. The girl is seen pleading as youths slap her.

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The BJP’s Bihar MLC Sheela Pandit also complained against RJD MP Misa Bharti, alleging she revealed the identity of the Jamui victim.

Bharti had accused Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary of a similar lapse.