The father of the girl from Bihar’s Jamui, who confronted her assailants, has demanded strict action against all the accused and government support for her education.
Three days after a video of his daughter being surrounded and assaulted by a group of men spread across social media, a father in Bihar’s Jamui has a fear the arrests cannot address: that she may no longer be able to study in her own town.
The minor girl was allegedly sexually assaulted on the evening of September 19 while she was with a boy from her school, also a minor. The video appears to show the two children surrounded by several men, with the girl resisting as one of them assaults her. It went viral soon after, leading to a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe and a police encounter in which the prime accused was shot in the leg.
The girl’s father has demanded strict action against all the accused, along with government support for his daughter’s education and financial assistance.
‘Everyone Has Seen Her In That Video’
“The way my daughter has been subjected to this, the video has gone viral everywhere. Now her education will not be possible here in Jamui, as everyone has seen her in that video. The government should arrange for her education,” he told Times Now Digital, stressing that ‘she was scared’.
“She was scared. She did not tell me anything that evening. I came to know about this through the videos the next morning,” he told Times Now Digital.
According to her father, she had gone to school and then to coaching classes that day. The incident took place at around 6 pm. He said both children attended the same school, and that the way they faced the situation had set “an example for society”. Praising his daughter, he said, “Our daughter has bravely confronted 10-12 criminals.”
‘The Half Encounter Is Not Enough’
According to police, the prime accused, Nandan Yadav, is the man seen in the viral video with a scarf covering his face while assaulting the girl. Jamui Superintendent of Police Biswajeet Dayal told reporters that Yadav opened fire when a police team spotted him and was shot in the leg when personnel retaliated. The SP said his associate, Hareram Yadav, fractured his knee while trying to flee and that three minor boys have been detained.
The accused have been charged under Sections 74, 76 and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), India’s criminal code. These cover outraging a woman’s modesty, assault with intent to disrobe, and acting with common intention. They also face charges under Sections 8 and 12 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, which deal with sexual assault and sexual harassment of a child. Nandan Yadav was not produced in court on Wednesday, as he is undergoing treatment. Hareram Yadav is scheduled to be produced before the Special POCSO Court.
For the family, the encounter is not enough. “The half encounter is not enough…there should be a full encounter of these criminals,” the father told Times Now Digital. In police parlance in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, a “half encounter” is a shooting in which a suspect is wounded, usually in the leg, rather than killed.
“The authorities should send a message to society that no criminal should be able to commit such a crime,” he added.
NCW Steps In, Police Target Viral Posts
The National Commission for Women took up the case on its own on September 21 and directed the state police chief to register an FIR. The State Commission for Women has also promised strict action. Bihar Police have also taken action against social media accounts that circulated the video without blurring the girl’s face. Police warned that revealing a child victim’s identity could itself invite legal action. It is the same virality that, her father says, has now put her schooling in Jamui out of reach.
(With Inputs from PTI)