To also urge High Court to monitor enquiry
The Bihar Government recommended a CBI enquiry into the infamous and horrible rape of at least 29 destitute girls at a Government-funded short stay shelter home in Muzaffarpur. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday directed the home department to recommend the probe by the Central Agency to the Union Home Ministry. The medical report has already confirmed the sexual exploitation of the 29 out of 42 girls.
Not only CBI enquiry, the Government also announced to urge the Patna High Court to monitor the CBI probe. Deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi said when the matter will come up for hearing in the court, the Government will request for its monitoring.
For last one week when the legislature is in session, the Opposition continued making demand for CBI probe and stalled the proceeding of the Assembly almost everyday. Even on Thursday, when the CBI probe was recommended, the opposition insisted on court monitoring.
The Nitish Kumar-led NDA Government came under severe pressure not only because of the Opposition which raised the matter in the Assembly as well in the Parliament prompting Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to give his nod for CBI investigation once the case was recommended by Bihar, but also due to public outrage.
The allegations started flying thick and fast against CM, deputy CM, senior leaders of JD(U) and BJP including a Union Minister for patronising the main accused Brajesh Thakur whose NGO was running the shelter home.
The name of Bihar’s Social Welfare Minister Manju Verma’s husband Chandrashekhar Verma also came up amid allegation that he would frequent the Muzaffarpur shelter home, going upstairs after leaving behind his staff and spending hours there.
The recommendation for CBI probe surprised many as only two days back, on Tuesday, Director General of Police KS Dwivedi at a hurriedly called Press conference had ruled out possibility of CBI investigation saying the police enquiry was going on in right direction and only a day earlier, on Wednesday,
Nitish asserted that police inquiry was in last stage and recommending for CBI probe would only consume more time as the central agency would make enquiry afresh.
Manju Verma announced that she would quit public life once allegation against her husband was proved. “This is a political conspiracy to malign me and my family. My husband has nothing to do with the happenings in the shelter home,” she claimed but admitted she after becoming Social Welfare Minister once visited Muzaffarpur shelter home with her husband.
On demand for her resignation, she shot back, “Why should I resign merely on allegation levelled by the wife of an accused employeeIJ” Verma’s name was raked up by Shibha Devi, wife of jailed child protection officer Ravi Raushan on Wednesday when leader of opposition Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, former CM Jitan Ram Manjhi and leaders of other opposition parties visited Muzaffarpur. She said she has documentary evidence against the Minister’s husband and proof for his visits to the shelter home with ulterior motive.