Bihar's Jungle Raj: Jolt In Jamui
Crimes are as old as mankind. A murder committed by a husband against his wife, or by a wife against her husband, may be a crime, but it is not necessarily a reflection of the state of law and order. There are, however, crimes that become possible because the law-and-order machinery is weak. What happened in Jamui in Bihar last week belongs to the latter category.
On September 19, two Class 10 students returning on a scooter after coaching were stopped by a group of youths on the Jamui-Lakhisarai road. The boy was assaulted, and the girl was allegedly groped, dragged, and harassed.
The incident was filmed, and the footage subsequently went viral. Police have registered a case under the POCSO Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Three accused have been arrested, and a Special Investigation Team has been formed to identify the others.
Incident Raises Law And Order Questions
The most disturbing aspect is that this was not something that happened behind closed doors. It happened on a public road, in full view of others, and the perpetrators appeared to have little fear of the consequences.
They apparently believed they could assault the boy and take liberties with the girl simply because they were confident that nobody would challenge them. But the two students did resist. The video made it easier for the police to identify those involved. That should not, however, become an excuse for complacency.
The police must ask why such a group felt emboldened enough to behave in this manner in the first place. It is equally unfortunate that some ruling coalition leaders sought to describe the episode as an isolated or sporadic incident.
Whether or not it is statistically isolated is beside the point. For the girl who was humiliated and the boy who was assaulted, the incident was neither isolated nor insignificant.
Focus On Safety Of Women
Bihar has invested heavily in programmes intended to improve the lives and mobility of women and girls. Nitish Kumar’s bicycle scheme for schoolgirls, introduced in 2006, became an important symbol of that effort.
Women have also consistently recorded higher turnout than men in recent Bihar elections. A government that seeks the confidence of women must ensure that they can travel on public roads without fear. The response now must go beyond arrests. Every person involved must be identified and prosecuted strictly according to law.
The POCSO case must be investigated professionally, evidence preserved and the trial pursued without delay. The police must also examine the conduct of the patrol personnel who were supposed to be in the area at the time. A civilised society is one in which women enjoy the same freedom, dignity, and rights as men. Bihar must ensure that the road to that society does not end in Jamui.