“Fantastic! The Cabinet minister (Manju Verma) is on the run, fantastic. How could it happen that the Cabinet minister is absconding and nobody knows where she is. Do you realise the seriousness of the issue that the Cabinet minister is not traceable? It’s too much,” Justice Madan B Lokur today lashed out at Bihar’s police for failing to arrest former cabinet minister of Bihar, Manju Verma on Muzaffarpur shelter home sex abuse scandal case, reported The Indian Express.
Supreme Court has summoned Directorate General of Police (DGP) to explain in person on November 27, why the arrest has not happened.
SC has also summoned Chief Secretary and explain, “Why action was not taken against 14 other shelter homes, against which, cases of torture and sexual abuse of girls, were reported by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences.”
A non-bailable warrant was issued on November 1 against Manju Verma, the former Social Welfare Minister, under arms act after a large number of live cartridges were obtained from her home during raids related to shelter home abuse case.
It is being alleged that Patna police didn’t even conduct any search to find out the former minister.
Manju Verma and Bihar Shelter home case
A few months back it was revealed that at least 42 minor girls were sexually abused and one was allegedly killed and was later buried in the crematory. The case of systematic sexual abuse came after Tata Institute Of Social Sciences (TISS) released a social audit report based on conversations with a number of inmates. After the report was forwarded to the Director of Bihar’s Social Welfare department on May 26, this year an investigation was initiated in the case.
An FIR was filed against the local journalist Brajesh Thakur, the owner of the NGO for the destitute girls. The NGO, ‘Seva Sankalp Evam Vikas Samiti’ was funded by the government. Including the main accused, Brajesh, 11 others were also arrested in the case under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) court in Muzaffarpur. After the medical examination of the 42 girls living in the NGO, 34 were confirmed to be sexually exploited.
The state’s former Social Welfare minister Manju Verma’s husband has been accused of having close links with Thakur, following which the minister was forced to resign. Her husband was accused of visiting the shelter home several times.
Also read: Ten States Including Bihar & Uttar Pradesh Denied Audit Of Their Shelter Homes
