Panel to probe sexual abuse of women inmates in Muzaffarpur jail

MUZAFFARPUR: Muzaffarpur DM Alok Ranjan Ghosh has set up a five-member committee for inquiring into alleged sexual harassment of a woman and her daughter who were lodged at Shahid Khudi Ram Bose Central Jail here. Ghosh took the initiative following a directive from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

“The inquiry team has been asked to submit its report within a week,” said the DM. The committee comprises ICDS DPO Lalita Kumari, Musahari CDPO Manju Kumari, DPM of Women Development Corporation Md Gaus Ali Haidar, Purnima Kumari (adviser of women helpline) and Pratibha Sinha (senior ADM, establishment).

The woman, her daughter and husband were arrested by the Muzaffarpur police on September 27, 2018 from Ahiyapur for their alleged involvement in a flesh trade racket. The trio were released on bail on March 26 this year. Soon after her release, the woman wrote a letter to the PMO on March 28, alleging that the jail superintendent often used to sexually harass women prisoners. She also forwarded a copy of her letter to the State Women Commission, chief minister’s office and IG (prison).

This is not the first time that Muzaffarpur jail authorities have hit the headlines for wrong reasons. Earlier, they came under scanner for uploading a picture of a criminal lodged in jail to social media platforms. Even a police report indicated that notorious gangsters and Maoists were using cellphones to run their gangs from the jail.

“The writer of the jail would often ask me to go by the dictates of jail authorities. They even forced me to send my daughter to jail officials. Whenever I refused, they used to beat us with bamboo sticks with the help of four women constables – Rinku, Archana 1 & II and Nitu,” the letter reads.

The woman alleged that she fainted on March 4 this year after Archana thrashed her mercilessly for refusing to send her daughter to the jail superintendent’s house.

However, jail superintendent Rajiv Kumar Singh has denied all the allegations. IG (prison) Mithilesh Mishara said he has asked the Muzaffarpur DM to look into the matter.