Over 34 girls were sexually abused at a government-owned shelter home at Muzaffarpur in Bihar
The Muzaffarpur shelter home case, in which over 34 girls were allegedly sexually abused, was handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on July 29.
The move comes a day after medical reports confirmed that the total number of girls sexually abused had increased to 34.
What is the case about?
A report submitted by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai to Bihar’s Social Welfare Department in April 2018 — almost a year after the institute was asked to prepare a report on the conditions of shelter and short-stay homes in the state — revealed that girls at a Muzzaffarpur shelter home, Balika Grih, were being sexually abused.
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In May, the Social Welfare Department registered an FIR at a women’s police station in Muzaffarpur. Soon after, police arrested Brajesh Thakur, the man responsible for looking after the shelter. Thakur’s NGO, Sewa Sankalp Evam Vikas Samiti, was given the contract to manage the shelter. Nine more people were later arrested in connection with the case, seven of whom were women employees at the shelter.
Who is Brajesh Thakur?
Brajesh Thakur is the manager of the NGO tasked with looking after the shelter home. The NGO has now reportedly been blacklisted, but Thakur has had other interests over the years.
Thakur is a local politician with connections to both Janata Dal (United) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders. He had contested on a Bihar People’s Party (BPP) ticket in the 1995 and 2000 Assembly elections from Kudhani seat in Muzaffarpur, but lost both times. BPP was then a National Democratic Alliance (NDA) partner in Bihar.
Thakur is also invested in the newspaper business, and runs a vernacular newspaper called Pratah Kamal. The paper is run from the same building where the shelter home is located, and has been empanelled by the public relation’s department of the government. The paper received advertisements from the government worth crores.
Thakur was also a part of the state's Press Accreditation Committee.
What are the recent developments in the case?
After Opposition parties raised the issue in state legislature and accused the government of shielding Thakur, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar ordered a CBI probe into the case.
According to reports, a CBI team has reached Muzaffarpur today.
So far, 10 people have been arrested in the case. Another accused, Dilip Kumar Verma, is absconding and a proclamation notice has been issued against him by a special court.
The Social Welfare Department Principal Secretary Atul Prasad said investigations into other shelters and short-stay homes mentioned in the report have been initiated.
Five of the 110 such shelters and short-stay homes in the state were found to have irregularities, according to Social Welfare Minister Manju Verma.
On July 29, Muzaffarpur Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Harpreet Kaur said medical reports confirmed sexual abuse.
Some of the girls had alleged that a girl was murdered after she resisted attempts to sexually assault her. Following this, police looked for her body in the shelter's compound by digging it, but did not find anything.
Some of the girls have also reportedly recorded statements before a magistrate.