WIN-IND-NITISH1-(Read-Only)
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar speaks to the media persons during the Lok Samvad programme at CM's residence, in Patna, Monday, Feb .04, 2019. Image Credit: PTI

Patna: The Bihar legislature plunged into turmoil on Monday after the opposition lawmakers staged angry protests seeking for resignation of chief minister Nitish Kumar over the child care home sex scandal.

They pressed for the chief minister’s resignation in the light of a local court’s move to forward an application to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) seeking for probing the role of the chief minister in the child care home sex scandal involving alleged mass rape of at least 34 girls. The application had been moved by a sex scandal accused who had requested the court to probe the role of the chief minister and senior officials alleging many political bigwigs were involved in the scandal.

As the House assembled for the day, the angry opposition members shouting slogans against the chief minister trooped into the well of the House demanding for the resignation of the chief minister. The protesting lawmakers who comprised members from the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Congress and Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) got more agitated when the Speaker asked them to maintain calm stating that “no questions have been raised by the court order on Kumar’s role and the application forwarded to the CBI was just a part of a routine process”. As the bedlam continued, the Speaker adjourned the House till lunch.

Angry lawmakers subsequently straightway headed towards the statue of a socialist leader Karpoori Thakur installed in the premises of the House and staged a sit-in with the resignation demand. They said a fair investigation into the care home sex scandal was not possible till the chief minister continued on his post. “He (the chief minister) has been quick to demand high standard of probity from other. He should live up to this himself,” former chief minister Rabri Devi told the media in the assembly premises on Monday.

“The chief minister should immediately resign respecting the probe order against him by the POSCO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) court,” former chief minister said adding they couldn’t expect a fair investigation in the case until the chief minister resigns. She said they would urge the court to put pressures on the chief minister to quit, charging the government with shielding the accused persons.

Congress lawmaker Premchandra Mishra too described the situation quite serious. “The way skeletons are tumbling out of cupboards at regular intervals, it appears the people in power are involved in the scandal and they are trying to save the accused persons,” Mishra alleged.