Patna: The district administration on Friday demolished the houses of three accused arrested in connection with the alleged molestation of a minor girl in Jagatsinghpur village under Karpurigram police station area in Samastipur. The administration said the structures had been built on encroached govt land.Bulldozers were used to demolish the houses of Rahul Kumar, Rambabu Sahni and PDS dealer Awadhesh Paswan, all residents of Bijolia village under Karpurigram police station area. The house of another accused, Vikas Kumar Sharma of Jagatsinghpur, was not demolished as it was a permanent structure. The administration gave him 24 hours to vacate the encroached portion.A heavy police force was deployed during the demolition drive to prevent any law-and-order situation. Sadar SDO Rakesh Kumar said the action was carried out as per administrative orders.The SDO told TOI that the administration also cancelled the PDS licence of Awadhesh, who was among the four arrested in the case. Police said preparations were underway for speedy trial proceedings.The action followed a video that went viral on Wednesday night, allegedly showing a minor girl being molested by a group of youths near a bypass road close to the dam. Police identified the suspects and arrested Vikas, Rahul, Rambabu and Awadhesh within around six hours. They were subsequently sent to judicial custody.An FIR was registered under relevant sections of Pocso Act and Information Technology Act, police said.Police sources said Vikas had four previous FIRs against him under Excise Act in connection with liquor smuggling. Police were also verifying the criminal backgrounds of the other accused.Meanwhile, ADG Kamal Kishore Singh visited Samastipur SP’s office on Friday and reviewed the investigation with SP Arvind Pratap Singh and DSP-rank officers. He directed officials to ensure prompt investigation and speedy trials in such cases.
