Jamui Minor Molestation Case: Main Accused Nandan Yadav Arrested After Police Encounter, 5 Of 7 Suspects Now Held | Watch

· Free Press Journal

Patna: In a major breakthrough in a case related to the alleged molestation and assault of a minor girl in Bihar's Jamui district, Nandan Yadav, the main accused in the shocking incident, was arrested following an encounter with police on Tuesday.

The Jamui case is related to the alleged humiliation and molestation of a teenage boy and girl while returing from their coaching classes in Jamui district last Saturday.

Yadav sustained injuries during the encounter and was subsequently taken into custody, police said. Another accused, Hare Ram Yadav, was also arrested during the operation. While Nandan suffered injuries to his leg, Hare Ram also suffered a fractured leg during the police operation. 

Nandan Yadav was among the accused identified from the viral video showing a group of men surrounding, harassing and assaulting two minors in Jamui. In the footage, he is seen covering his face while allegedly assaulting the Class 10 girl and the boy.

Three other accused had been arrested earlier, taking the total number of arrests to five of the seven suspects identified by police. Following the identification of the perpetrators from the video, police teams had been conducting raids to apprehend the remaining accused.

Meanwhile, police have launched a crackdown on those circulating the videos of the Jamui incident. 

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The boy and girl were stopped, humiliated and molested while returning from coaching classes. In a press conference held Monday night, Jamui SP Vishwajit Dayal said a case had been registered at the cyber police station against those who circulated the video on social media while revealing the identity of the minor victim. Around 120 profile holders across different social media platforms have been named as accused.

The SP said revealing the identity of a minor victim was a serious offence. Circulating a video related to the victim on social media also falls within the ambit of the law. In view of this, police have begun investigating the accounts and profiles that circulated the video. Cases have been registered against them at the Jamui cyber police station. He said that circulating a video related to the minor victim along with her identity is an offence under the POCSO Act, the Information Technology Act and the Juvenile Justice Act. In connection with this, an FIR has been registered at the Cyber Police Station.

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Following police intervention, the video has so far been removed from 132 social media accounts. Police identified the concerned social media platforms and accounts and completed the process of having the video taken down. The police are also trying to ensure that the video is not uploaded or shared again from other accounts.

Meanwhile, Bihar JD (U) president Umesh Kushwaha and state rural development  minister Shravan Kumar have courted controversy by describing the incident as a “chhitput ghatana” (isolated incident).

"If an ‘chhitpur ghatana’ (isolated incident) takes place, we are sensitive as a government," he remarked while referring to "jungle raj," allegedly prevailing during the former RJD rule in the state.

 "Look at Bihar before 2005.Whether people stepped out of their homes? You have seen what the situation was like. People were somehow struggling through their lives. Today, if any incident takes place, the administration takes action. No matter how big a criminal may be, action will be taken against everyone."

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After his remarks triggered a controversy, Kushwaha strongly condemned the Jamui incident in a social media post, describing the incident as shameful and inhuman. He said an SIT had been formed to investigate the case as three accused had been arrested and raids were being conducted to trace the remaining accused.

Bihar rural development and information and public relations minister Shravan Kumar, in his interaction with reporters, also described it as an "isolated case". However, he also said that such an incident was distressing and that the government was fully alert about the matter.

"Completely eliminating crime from the world is difficult, and sometimes such unfortunate incidents come to light, but the government is keeping a close watch on every case." He also assured that strict action would be taken against those responsible, asserting that the case would be thoroughly investigated and no guilty person would be spared. He said that the victim's family would be provided all necessary security.

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