Calling it an 'isolated incident', two JD(U) leaders had told reporters that the state government was tracking such developments, and that the perpetrators would face the full force of the law.

Calling it an 'isolated incident', two JD(U) leaders had told reporters that the state government was tracking such developments, and that the perpetrators would face the full force of the law.

Calling it an 'isolated incident', two JD(U) leaders had told reporters that the state government was tracking such developments, and that the perpetrators would face the full force of the law.

Amid the ongoing anger over a viral video showing two minors in Bihar's Jamui assaulted by a group of men, two JD(U) leaders have gone viral for their remarks on the case. Viral videos of the incident showed the boy being threatened and the girl being groped and even carried a short distance away.

Calling it an "isolated incident", the party's state president Umesh Kushwaha had told reporters that the state government was tracking such developments, and that the perpetrators would face the full force of the law.

“The world is not entirely free of crime. Isolated incidents keep happening. The government has its eye on these isolated incidents," said Bihar’s Rural Development, Information and Public Relations Minister Shravan Kumar.

Kushwaha also took potshots at the previous RJD government, in connection with the incident.

"Remember the period before 2005. See what Bihar was like at that time. Did anyone step out of their homes? What were the circumstances like? People were somehow getting through their lives," he pointed out, saying that things had changed under the present government.

However, this led to major backlash from Opposition parties—especially Bihar Assembly Opposition leader and RJD chief Tejashwi Yadav, who called the remark shameful and claimed that even if such incidents had happened to his family members, Kushwaha would have called it a minor issue.

"Whether it is day or night; whether at college, school, on the street, in a hostel, or even inside or outside their homes—the rise in atrocities against women in Bihar is undeniable. Ask any girl in Bihar today; none of them feel safe—that is the reality," he told reporters.

This backlash led to Kushwaha clarifying his statements with a Facebook post, in which he reiterated that the NDA government stood firmly beside the victims' families, and that there was "no place" for crime in Bihar.

"Some people are distorting and misrepresenting my statement. I urge that instead of drawing conclusions based on a single part of the statement, the entire statement be heard," he added in the post.

Regarding the comments made by the opposition, Bihar minister Shreyasi Singh also hit back, saying that "politicising such incidents reveals the narrow-mindedness of (the Opposition's) mentality".

Action on a war footing

All men involved in the assault have been identified, out of which three have been arrested, the Jamui Police confirmed on Monday.

Reporters were also told that the incident had taken place on September 19 and a Special Investigation Team (SIT), headed by a woman officer, was already conducting raids to arrest all the culprits.

An FIR has been lodged under the POCSO Act and relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), while steps have also been initiated for the viral videos to be taken down.

The State Women’s Commission has also sought a detailed report from the district administration on the incident, which has taken the state by storm.

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