Bihar police register case against six unidentified youths after video of girl harassment at Mandar Parvat surfaces

PATNA: A video allegedly showing a minor girl being harassed in public at Bihar’s Mandar Parvat tourist site in Banka has surfaced online, prompting police to register a case against six unidentified youths. The development comes days after separate molestation and sexual assault cases in Jamui and Samastipur sparked concern over law and order in the state.

Video shows group surrounding girl at Mandar Parvat

The video, allegedly recorded at the tourist site under Bounsi police station, shows a group of youths allegedly misbehaving with the girl. One youth appears to twist her arm, while another attempts to hit her with a slipper. A third is seen carrying a stick. The clip has been edited with a song that appears to glorify hooliganism and has been widely circulated on social media.

Police suspect video may be six months old

Although the video carries a September 3 date, police said preliminary findings suggest the footage could be around six months old. Investigators are now trying to establish when the incident actually took place and verify the circumstances in which the video was recorded. Bounsi SHO Pankaj Kumar Jha said the social media cell received the video through WhatsApp on September 22. A police team later visited the location and found that the footage appeared to have been shot at Mandar Parvat.

FIR against six unidentified youths

Police have registered a suo motu FIR against six unidentified youths under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Information Technology Act. Bounsi SDPO Indrajit Baitha said efforts were underway to identify those seen in the video and that further legal action would follow based on the investigation.

Samastipur video leads to four arrests

The Banka case comes days after a separate video from Samastipur allegedly showed a girl being harassed in public. Police arrested four people in connection with that case and booked them under relevant provisions of the BNS, IT Act and POCSO Act. According to Samastipur police, the video appeared to be about a week old and the victim had not yet been identified. Police said a case was registered because the girl appeared to be a minor and the matter was considered sensitive. The arrested men were identified as Vikas Kumar, Rahul Kumar and Rambabu Sahni, residents of Jagatsinghpur village, where the incident allegedly occurred, and Awadhesh Paswan, a resident of Bijaulia.

One arrested in Muzaffarpur case

In neighbouring Muzaffarpur, police arrested Lalit Kumar for allegedly molesting and beating a girl in the Town police station area. Police said the accused appeared to be mentally unstable and that his condition was being assessed by experts. The girl was admitted to Sadar Hospital for treatment.

Police dismiss Madhepura video claim

Police also rejected claims circulating on social media about a similar incident in Madhepura. According to Madhepura police, the video was recorded near a secondary school and showed male and female students involved in a heated argument after their half-yearly examinations. The recent cases have drawn political attention, with the opposition targeting the BJP-led NDA government over the law and order situation in Bihar.