The rampant abduction of schoolchildren and inaction of police and administration against criminals and mafia caused a wave of popular anger against the former RJD Government. Riding that wave, Nitish Kumar came to power on a promise of “good governance” (sushasan) and stern action against crime. The shocking story of an abducted schoolgirl exposes the lie behind those promises.
15-year-old Pinki Kumari of a village adjoining Darbhanga town was abducted on 15 May 2007. The Bahadurpur thana refused to lodge an FIR. An FIR was eventually lodged on the court’s orders, following a petition by her parents. The main accused Amit Kumar is the son of Brahmanand Tiwari, who works in the Education Department and is embroiled in illegal recruitment scams. The DSP Parvez Akhtar corroborated the charges and ordered the arrest of the accused. The IG Shri Kanaujia ordered that a special campaign be undertaken to retrieve the girl, and that Pappu Mandal, also suspected of involvement, be taken into custody and questioned. On 14 February 2008, however, IG Ganesh Kumar Yadav said the case was false, and in fact ordered that the girl’s parents be prosecuted under Section 182/211 for leveling false charges. The parents were beaten up by the accused and threatened with dire consequences unless they withdrew the case. Although an FIR was lodged regarding this violence, the police took no action.
It is shocking that the girl’s parents approached the Chief Minister’s own famed ‘Janta Durbar’ (Open Court) no less than 13 times! Yet no action was taken to recover their daughter; rather they were harassed and threatened by the abductors as well as by police.
Recently, the girl was recovered by Begusarai-Khagadia police from a brothel. This happened on the basis of an appeal made by the girl’s uncle to the Women’s Commission. The girl testified in Darbhanga Court about the facts of her abduction.
On 15 July, the CPI(ML) addressed a joint press conference along with Pinki Kumari and her parents, demanding arrest and punishment for the officials who played a role in suppressing the case and protecting the accused. The party along with the girl and her family charged that the JD(U)-BJP Government were protecting the accused because the latter’s father is part of the education mafia, which has close links with the Government. Compensation was demanded for the girl and her family for the trauma and injustice they had suffered.
Following widespread press coverage, the matter was raised in the Assembly. Its back to the wall, the Government has said it will ensure that all accused including the woman who runs the brothel will be arrested and their premises searched; cancellation of bail of the main accused; and a fresh enquiry into the whole matter headed by the ADGP.
