A special investigation team (SIT) has been formed by the Bihar government after a video showing two minors being allegedly harassed by a group in Jamui surfaced on social media.
The development comes a day after police arrested three people while a search was on for others allegedly involved in the harassment of a boy and a girl.
Jamui MP Arun Bharti said the SIT headed by Sub-Divisional Police Officer Deepti Monali had been formed to probe the incident.
Deep Dive
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“While the victims did not name the alleged perpetrators in the first information report (FIR) registered at Jamui police station, police have identified around seven people from the video. Three have been arrested and raids are underway to trace the others,” Bharti said.
The case has been registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
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Authorities have also started the process to have the footage removed from social-media platforms.
{{/usCountry}}Authorities have also started the process to have the footage removed from social-media platforms.
{{/usCountry}}The incident came to light after the footage, purportedly showing the minors being confronted and harassed by a group, began circulating online triggering public outrage.
Bihar sports minister and Jamui BJP MLA Shreyasi Singh criticised the incident and rejected the justification of such behaviour under the garb of “moral policing”.
“Unfortunately, there are some unsocial elements of the criminal mindset and even today, in the name of moral policing, these kinds of incidents are brought to the forefront,” Singh said.
She said the Jamui administration acted after the incident came to its notice through social media and expressed hope that those yet to be arrested would soon face prosecution under the POCSO Act.
Singh said the incident should send a wider message that such acts would not be tolerated by the Bihar government.
Authorities have appealed against further sharing of the footage, given that it involves minors and its circulation could compromise their privacy.