Outrage in Bihar as NDA leaders downplay chilling Jamui viral video
The molestation of a teenage girl in Bihar’s Jamui and problematic remarks from within the NDA have left the Samrat Choudhary-led government embarrassed on the law and order front.
The timing of this incident, coming months after the on-camera encounter of Bharat Bhushan Tiwari in Bhojpur, has added to the state government’s troubles.
The incident involves a Class 10 student and her friend who were harassed, assaulted, and filmed by a group, including several teenage boys. The two students, on their way home from a coaching centre, visited the hilly outskirts before the group stopped them.
Chilling videos show the teenagers pleading with those in the group, urging them to let them go home. Those in the group are seen threatening them and harassing the minor girl.
The incident, which has made national headlines, has prompted voices from the Opposition, led by Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, to launch a scathing attack on the NDA government.
Samrat Choudhary’s law and order challenge
The Jamui incident, which has sparked nationwide outrage, put Chief Minister Choudhary in a spot. For nearly two decades, the NDA coalition’s core political messaging in Bihar rested on the platform of Sushasan, meaning good governance. NDA leaders have repeatedly played up the “Jungleraj” slogan, referring to a perceived breakdown of law and order during RJD rule in the state.
But repeated instances of public violence, combined with controversial police encounters and dismissive rhetoric from coalition allies, now threaten to undermine this carefully crafted narrative of the NDA.
JDU’s self-goal
The opposition in Bihar, led by RJD’s Tejashwi Prasad Yadav and backed by national parties, has torn into the NDA government.
What has added to the troubles of the ruling alliance is problematic remarks made by three senior Janata Dal (United) leaders, who downplayed the incident as a “one-off” and “chhitput” (stray) incident.
Senior JD(U) leader and Union Minister Rajeev Ranjan Singh (alias Lalan Singh) told reporters, “There was a time when girls would not step out of their homes after dusk. Now, they can go out at any time… No individual incident should be used to judge the overall law and order of a state. Whenever any such incident takes place, the police take action.”
JD(U) state president Umesh Kushwaha and minister Shravan Kumar caused further damage.
Umesh Kushwaha said, “When such minor and isolated incidents take place, our police take action. But why do people forget the dark era before 2005? What was the condition of Bihar then?”
Shravan Kumar described the incident as “chhitput”, meaning “stray”. “Aesi chhitput ghatnayen hoti rahti hain” (such stray incidents keep happening), adding that the police had taken necessary steps.
Five people have been taken into custody in connection with the incident; two of them were arrested after they were injured in an encounter with police.
BJP’s Jamui MLA and State Industry Minister Shreyasi Singh has publicly criticised local police for delayed action, noting that officers only reacted after videos of the assault went viral. She later said a Special Investigation Team had been formed to probe the incident.
“…In this sensitive time, protecting the privacy and dignity of the daughter and her family is also our responsibility. I humbly urge everyone not to share any photo, video, or material that exposes their identity,” she wrote on X.
The difference between the reactions by the BJP minister and JDU leaders also highlights confusion within the ruling NDA.
The Opposition’s charge
Leading the offensive, Tejashwi Yadav said, “It is deeply unfortunate that NDA leaders are calling the assault on a boy and a girl an isolated, stray case. Would they react in the same way if such a horrific thing had happened to their own family members? Girls are not safe anywhere in the state as unruly boys have no fear of the police.”
Echoing the RJD leader, Bihar Congress chief Rajesh Kumar said the incident exposed a systematic collapse of law enforcement across the state.
A post by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi stepped up the charge. “The video from Jamui, Bihar, is deeply disturbing. Two Class 10 students were stopped on a road, harassed, humiliated, and molested. A young girl, hands folded, begged to be let go while goons groped her and dragged her away…”
Former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee weighed in, “The video from Bihar is gut-wrenching, shocking, and honestly makes me very, very angry. Those who took the law into their own hands in the name of ‘moral policing’ must be held accountable… No society can allow mobs to decide who deserves dignity or freedom. And there is a political hypocrisy we cannot ignore: BJP leaders demand justice in states where they are not in power, but where they are in power, they become instruments of injustice…”
Taking note of the incident, Bihar State Women’s Commission chairperson Apsara Mishra issued directives to local authorities. “We have asked the Jamui District Magistrate and Superintendent of Police to take immediate, strict action in the matter,” she said.
