Nitish Kumar should follow Delhi and allow CBI probe: Tejashwi Prasad Yadav

PATNA: Leader of opposition in Bihar assembly Tejashwi Prasad Yadav on Wednesday demanded chief minister Nitish Kumar’s resignation on moral ground in Muzaffarpur children home rape case. Tejashwi said Nitish should own responsibility as he holds the home department portfolio.

Tejashwi said why Nitish was getting cold feet in recommending for a CBI probe into the rape of 29 minor girls at the state-funded Muzaffarpur shelter home when Union home minister Rajnath Singh categorically said the Centre was ready for taking up the matter for a CBI probe.

“Nitish should resign taking moral responsibility for the alleged rape of 29 girls as he also holds the home portfolio,” Tejashwi said. The RJD leader, who led a delegation of senior opposition leaders from Congress, HAM(S) and CPI(ML) to Muzaffarpur shelter home, which was run by NGO Sewa Sankalp Evam Vikas Samiti, asked why NGO owner Brajesh Thakur was not being taken on police remand for further questioning in the case. He also asked the state government to make public Brajesh Thakur’s call details of the last one year.

Tejashwi alleged that the police were not revealing the names of the Union minister and senior leaders of the ruling parties, who allegedly made telephone calls to the investigating officers and tried to influence the case investigation.

Congress legislative party leader Sadanand Singh, who was the part of the delegation, claimed a senior Muzaffarpur police officer had categorically said several big people were involved in the girls’ rape. “The government should come out with the name of those big people,” Singh said.

Former CM and HAM(S) chief Jitan Ram Manjhi asked as to why the social welfare department took over a month to act on the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS, Mumbai) social audit report on the shelter home. “Whether the delay was intended to enable the culprits, including Thakur, to tamper with the evidence?” Manjhi asked.

CPI(ML) legislature party leader Mahboob Alam also demanded CBI inquiry into the shelter home case.

Bihar DGP K S Dwivedi on Tuesday had said there was no need for a CBI probe since the Bihar police investigation was satisfactory and going in the right direction.

Tejashwi said RJD would hold a statewide cycle rally this week against the rise in crime against women with the slogan ‘NDA Bhagao, Beti Bachao.’