Patna: As many as 25 Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers working as district magistrates (DM) are among 71 officials from Bihar who could face action in connection with the alleged mass rape of 40 girls and sexual abuse of inmates lodged at 17 child care homes in the state.
Damocles’ swords hang over these officials entrusted with the responsibility of proper upkeep of children at these care homes after the India’s premier investigative agency, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), recommended action against them. The CBI had investigated the case on the order of the Supreme Court.
The CBI submitted its detailed report to the Supreme Court on Monday wherein it said it has completed investigation into all the 17 care homes. It was during the course of investigation that lapses on the part of the officials were revelead.
Of the total 25 DMs against whom action has been recommended, seven each belong to East Champaran and Kaimur districts, five from East Chamapran district, two each from Gaya and Bhagalpur and one each from Munger and Araria. The CBI has also found gross negligence on the part of DMs in Madhubani and Patna districts, reports said.
As per the report, the girls lodged at the care homes were forced to dance to vulgar songs, sedated and allegedly raped by the visitors at a care home in Muzaffarapur being run by Brajesh Thakur, the key accused in the case. This shelter home was being funded by the government.
During the course of investigation, the CBI also claimed to have recovered skeletons of 11 girls which, the investigating agency said, may have been murdered by the Thakur, the key accused in the case. The skeletons along with bundle of bones were recovered from a burial ground which was dug out by the CBI. On Wednesday, however, the CBI told the apex court that there is no evidence of murder of children in Muzaffarpur care home.
“We are in possession of the report and action will be taken under the law,” a senior Bihar minister Krishnandan Verma told a local media on Tuesday. He added that the government didn’t implicate or free anyone.
Nivediat Jha who was the petitioner in the case told a news channel that the CBI’s findings are mainly “prima facie” so far. “The criminal part of the case is yet to be probed. We demand to make thorough investigation into the case,” she added.
The alleged sexual abuse of girls came to light after the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), a multi-campus public funded research university in Mumbai, conducted social audit of the care home in February 2018. It was this inspection which brought shocking details to light, promoting the state government to order an investigation. The case was finally handed over to the CBI under heavy pressures from the general masses.
The TISS in its 100-page report had reportedly mentioned that “Institutions of all categories were found to be indulging in some form of abuse. Incidents of harassment, sexual abuse, corporal punishment, neglect and humiliation were reported rampantly”. The TISS had been hired by the state government to conduct social audit of 110-odd shelter homes, child care homes and short stay homes in the state.
The TISS had reported gross sexual abuse of inmates in at least 15 shelter homes running across the state and especially raised questions over the prevailing state of affairs at short stay homes for both boys and girls running at Muzaffarpur, Patna, Munger, Gaya, Araria and Kaimur districts.
