BIHAR‘S Shelter Home Rape: ‘We Are Ashamed”: No Accused Will Be Spared, Says Nitish Kumar

BIHAR Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has said the rape of minor girls at a Muzaffarpur shelter home has saddened him and his government. The entire Bihari people are highly ashamed and pained. Whosoever committed this heinous crime should be punished so severely that nobody could dare to commit this sin in future.” he said. While inaugurating the Mukhya Mantri Kanya Utthan Yojna at Patna on Friday he said a sin has been committed in Muzaffarpur. I can assure all of Bihar — no accused, whoever he may be, will be allowed to go scot-free,” Kumar said while launching a CM Kanya Yojana  under which Rs 54,100 will be given to each girl child in the state in instalments from birth till she turns a graduate. In his 25-minute speech, Kumar spoke at length on his initiatives for women’s empowerment. CM said the investigation into the heinous is being conducted by the Central Bureau of Investigation. All  culprits  involved in the  exploitation of destitute or lost girls at the shelter home will not  be spared, he said  commenting  on the incidents after  it  came to public domain over  a fortnight  ago shocking  the people of the eastern state. Opposition parties accused him of trying to shield the rapists and criminals. “I will remain engaged in social reform works till I am here. In my Government there will be rule of law. No accused will get away,” said the CM and added that he has asked the Advocate General that the probe should be conducted under the monitoring of the high court for more probity and clarity and no culprit should escape. Nitish said he held meeting with top police and civil officials and asked them to find out the loopholes and drawbacks in the system and that such a system be developed where such incidents could not be repeated. “I feel extremely sad for the victims of Muzaffarpur shelter home,” he added. At the official function organised by the Social Welfare and Health departments, Social Welfare Minister Manju Verma was also present. She turned red for the repeated queries from the media about the involvement of her husband in the rape incident and her security personnel manhandled the media people. Earlier she had held a press conference in an attempt to given a clean chit to Chandrasekhar Verma. In Delhi, opposition led by leader of Opposition in the state legislative assembly Tejashwi Prasad Yadav held a massive protest rally accusing   Nitish Kumar headed government of not taking adequate steps in punishing the influential   persons for involvement in the crime. At the home in Muzaffarpur, girls – one as young as seven – were drugged, raped, forced to sleep naked and scalded with boiling water by its politically connected owner and its staff, a police charge-sheet has revealed. Ten people, including owner Brajesh Thakur, have been charged in the document that detailed a network of police, politicians, administration and criminals exploiting and torturing the girls. NDTV reports  there are allegations that Bihar’s Social Welfare Minister Manju Verma’s husband visited the shelter home. The wife of an official arrested in the case has claimed that the minister’s husband was a frequent visitor. The minister was present at the event. She was seen in visuals rushing to her car when surrounded by reporters.