Muzaffarpur residents welcome verdict in shelter home case

PATNA: The Pratah Kamal Lane, off the busy Sahu Road in Muzaffarpur town, wore a deserted look on Tuesday soon after the Saket court in New Delhi sentenced Brajesh Thakur to imprisonment till his last breath in the case related to sexual and physical assault on several girl inmates of a government-funded shelter home.
Till May 2018, the road used to hum with activities. Politicians, bureaucrats, journalists and who’s who of the state frequently visited the palatial residence of Brajesh, a journalist-cum-politician. Neighbours were envious of him for being close to the powers that be. About two years and nine months later, the scene has completely changed.
Brajesh’s family has shifted elsewhere and the house is locked from outside. “Puri virani chhayi hui hai. Koi us road ki taraf jhakta bhi nahi hai. Charon taraf khamoshi hai (The road is literary deserted. Nobody takes a peep into the house or even the road. An eerie silence prevails everywhere,” said Sayeeda Khatoon (65), whose house is located at a stone’s throw distance from that of Brajesh.
Khatoon said as long as Brajesh’s father Radha Mohan Thakur, a teacher, was alive, they had an association with the family. Radha Mohan, who started a vernacular daily—Pratah Kamal—which later became a landmark in the locality, also used to run an NGO but with a different name. “The young boy (read Brajesh), who started his career as a photo journalist in his father’s newspaper, is now a convict,” she rued.
Khatoon’s neighbour Rubiya (45), is rather elated over the court’s verdict. “Use to saja milni hin thi. Jo karam kiya uski saja mili hai (His rightly deserved this punishment. He has been penalized for the offence he committed),” she said, adding that the Almighty is great and takes care of everybody.
Sayeeda and Rubiya are not alone to hail the verdict of the court. Arvind Kumar Mukhul, district president of the Congress, said, “I honour the order of the Saket court for delivering justice to the victims. But at the same time, I demand from the central government as well as the CBI to disclose the names of the politicians and bureaucrats who frequented Brajesh’s house and also the shelter home.”
Some people, who were known to Brajesh’s family, however, refused to comment. “Why should I give any reaction ? Though I know him and his family for long, I have never been associated with his misdeeds,” said a 55-year-old man, whose house is next to Brajesh’s house on the Pratah Kamal Lane.
Brajesh, the owner of an NGO—Balika Grih—for destitute girls, was arrested on June 2, 2018 along with others after an FIR was lodged with the women’s police station in Muzaffarpur on May 30. The case was handed over to the CBI after much hullabaloo by opposition party leaders over the issue. On January 20, 19 persons, including Brajesh, were held guilty by the court.