Patna, Sep 26 (IANS): Bihar BJP President, Sanjay Saraogi, on Saturday defended the state government’s handling of the Jamui molestation case amid a controversy over a photograph of the minor victim being shared from the official X handle of Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary.
Speaking on the matter, Saraogi highlighted the speed of the police action following the incident and said three accused were arrested within eight hours, while the main accused was arrested within 24 hours.
“Look, as far as the Jamui case is concerned, as soon as the police came to know about it, three accused were arrested within eight hours. The main accused was arrested within 24 hours,” Saraogi told IANS.
He further said that the police had been given a free hand to take action in cases involving such crimes.
“And in such cases, whenever a crime occurs, the police have been given a free hand to take action,” the BJP state president said.
Saraogi also addressed the controversy over the photograph of the minor victim being posted on social media by the Chief Minister’s Office. He said action had been taken against the employee allegedly responsible for the lapse and that a case had also been registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
“And regarding the matter about the Chief Minister posting the picture, action was taken against the employee who was responsible for the negligence, and a case was also registered against him under the POCSO Act,” Saraogi said.
The controversy surrounding the Bihar government emerged on Thursday, when a photograph of the Jamui victim, a minor girl who was allegedly molested earlier this week, along with her parents, was shared from the official X handle of Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary. The family had visited Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary’s official residence in Patna.
The publication of the photograph drew criticism, with questions being raised over the sharing of an image identifying a minor victim involved in a sexual offence case.
Leader of Opposition in the Bihar Assembly, Tejashwi Yadav, shared a screenshot of the post on X and attacked the Chief Minister over the issue. Yadav called Choudhary “foolish and inept” and accused him of “violating the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act”.
