Patna: In a shameful development, a Class X girl was subjected to harassment and molestation on the road by a group of youths in Jamui district, who also recorded the act on camera. As video clips of the despicable act went viral, triggering a storm, police detained three perpetrators, all minors, on Monday.The horror unfolded on Saturday when the girl had gone to Marwa Pahad, a scenic hill, along with a male classmate on a scooter after attending coaching classes. While the two were returning in the evening, a group of youths stopped and surrounded them. They allegedly forced them off the scooter and started questioning and abusing them.The videos show the youths harassing the girl and touching her inappropriately. Her friend was manhandled, too. As the two tried to run away, they were chased and roughed up. Their ordeal allegedly went on for 15-20 minutes before the two students managed to flee the spot.Two video clips of the harassment went viral on Monday, sparking outrage and prompting police to initiate action. “The girl and her friend were traced and their statements were recorded. After receiving a written complaint from the girl, an FIR was registered. All the youths visible in the videos have been identified,” Jamui SP Vishwajit Dayal said.The case was registered under Sections 74, 76 and 3(5) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Sections 8 and 12 of Pocso Act.On the orders of SP, a special SIT headed by SDPO Deepti Monali was constituted to conduct a probe into the incident.Police said the identities of the youths visible in the videos have been established and three accused have been detained. Raids are continuing for the arrest of the remaining accused, they added.SDPO said, “A case has been registered against seven-eight persons based on the video footage. Three of them have been detained, while raids are ongoing to nab others.”When asked about legal action or fine for violating the motor vehicle rules as a minor was riding the scooter, she said police are taking action according to the priority.SP described the incident as unfortunate and said the police would take steps to prevent such incidents from recurring. “To prevent the recurrence of such incidents, awareness campaigns will also be conducted by the police,” he said.Police cautioned against further circulation of footage that could reveal the identity of the minor girl.National Commission for Women (NCW) and Bihar State Women Commission have taken suo motu cognisance of the incident.According to a letter issued by NCW chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar, Bihar DGP has been directed to register an FIR, identify those involved and ensure their arrest. NCW has also urged authorities to take legal measures to prevent further circulation of the video and sought a detailed action-taken report from Bihar authorities within seven days.Bihar State Women Commission has asked Jamui SP to take strict action and inform it about the steps taken.ADG (Law and Order) K S Anupam said police had initiated takedown action against 32 social media accounts for circulating the video.ADG said the investigation was not limited to those directly involved in the incident. Social media accounts that allegedly circulated the video were also being examined and action was being taken to remove the content from online platforms.Police are also scrutinising the criminal records, if any, of the accused and analysing the videos and other available evidence to establish the role of each person involved.
