All men involved in the assault of a minor boy and girl in Bihar's Jamui have been identified and three have been arrested, the Bihar Police have reportedly confirmed.
Viral videos of the boy being threatened and the girl being inappropriately touched and even carried away for a short distance had sent shockwaves across the country after they surfaced on the internet. Following the uproar, the police were working on a war footing to nab all the men involved in the incident.
Earlier reports had confirmed that the Jamui Police were able to identify the two youngsters who were stopped and harassed while travelling on a two-wheeler. After the video showed the duo being harassed and assaulted even after pleading with their captors to let them go with folded hands, the state Women's Commission also took cognizance of the matter. After the Jamui District Magistrate briefed the Commission on the incident, it directed strict action against the culprits.
Jamui Superintendent of Police Vishwajeet Dayal said the incident was unfortunate and that the police would launch an awareness campaign to prevent such incidents from recurring, Hindi media reports said.
The incident reportedly took place between 6 PM and 7 PM on September 19, Saturday. The names of the arrested accused were not immediately available. It was also not known if the man responsible for recording the viral video was among those arrested.
"...If the video is genuine and the people involved are identified, Bihar Police must act swiftly and lawfully—those responsible for sexually harassing the couple should be arrested without delay and face the full consequences under the law," an X handle that shared the video said.
"And Bihar Police needs to answer: how are such incidents happening openly, while people are filming instead of stopping them? Silence and inaction only embolden such behaviour. This is the time for strict action, proper investigation, and accountability—not excuses," the post added.
