13 individuals booked in Naubatpur gang rape case; Rohini Acharya targets Bihar govt

Patna: The alleged gang-rape of two sisters in the Naubatpur area of Patna has triggered a major political controversy in Bihar.

The two women, who had come from Jharkhand to perform at a Tilak ceremony, have accused 13 individuals of gang-rape.

Police have initiated an investigation into the allegations.

Reacting to the incident, Rohini Acharya, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and daughter of party chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, on Saturday criticised the state government and questioned the law-and-order situation in Bihar.

In a post on social media platform X, Acharya said that if women and girls in the state are not safe, claims regarding law and order lose all significance.

She described the increasing incidents of sexual violence and crimes against women in Bihar as a matter of serious concern.

She alleged that repeated incidents of rape expose what she termed the “failure of the state government’s claims regarding the rule of law”.

According to Rohini Acharya, criminals involved in such offences appear to have little fear of either the law or the state administration.

She said that ensuring the safety of women is the foremost responsibility of any government and added that a decline in crimes against women is necessary for official claims regarding women’s safety to carry credibility.

She also alleged that the current state administration has failed to instill fear among criminals or confidence among victims seeking justice.

Referring to other cases, Rohini Acharya claimed that several serious crimes against women remain unresolved and cited the delay in justice in previous cases as evidence of administrative failure.

The alleged incident in Naubatpur has intensified political attacks between the ruling NDA and the Opposition in Bihar.

While the Opposition has raised questions over women’s safety and law and order, police officials are investigating the allegations made by the two women and examining the role of the accused individuals.

Authorities are expected to proceed further on the basis of the victims’ statements, medical evidence, and the findings of the ongoing investigation.

According to the complaint, the incident took place on June 18.

The victims, residents of Latehar district in Jharkhand, were living in a rented accommodation in Patna’s Mithapur area.

The victims told police that they had been hired for Rs 8,000 to perform at a dance programme during a tilak ceremony in a village under the Naubatpur police station area.

The booking was allegedly arranged by Munna Kumar, a resident of Bhelura Rampur village, who took the sisters from Mithapur to the village on a scooter.

The women alleged that instead of taking them to the programme venue, Munna Kumar, along with his cousins Suraj Kumar, Bhanu Kumar and several others, forcibly took them to a secluded location.

According to the FIR, the accused allegedly kept the sisters captive and moved them between different locations, where they were sexually assaulted through the night.

IANS