Patna: The recent police encounter of the prime accused in the Jamui molestation case has sparked a fresh political war of words in Bihar. Union Minister and Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) patron Jitan Ram Manjhi launched a scathing attack on Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav, taking a sharp dig at the latter’s frequent political references to the Yadav community.
The controversy stems from a shocking incident in Jamui, where a minor girl and her male friend were surrounded, harassed, and assaulted by a group of men. The perpetrators recorded the ordeal, and the video went viral over the weekend, triggering massive public outrage. Acting swiftly, the Bihar Police tracked down the accused. During a police encounter on Tuesday, the main accused, Nandan Yadav, sustained a bullet injury to his leg while allegedly trying to flee, while another accused, Hare Ram Yadav, was also injured and apprehended.
Following the encounter, Jitan Ram Manjhi took to the microblogging platform X to target the Leader of the Opposition. In a sarcastic post, Manjhi wrote, “We (HAM) don’t just speak, we show it by our actions. Everyone must have learned about the Jamui case by now, but let me give you the latest update. Tejashwi ji has been saying that every ‘Yadav’ of Bihar and UP is his brother. So, some of those very brothers molested a girl in Jamui and recorded a video to defame our government.”
Manjhi further mocked Tejashwi, suggesting the RJD leader might now complain about the police action. “Now Tejashwi Yadav will say, ‘Look, Samrat Choudhary got my brother shot.’ I will still say, Tejashwi ji, warn your brothers, otherwise, Samrat’s government is not going to spare anyone. This is ‘Samrat’s good governance’, brother,” the Union Minister added.
The remarks drew a sharp rebuttal from Tejashwi’s sister, Rohini Acharya, who criticised Manjhi for politicising a highly sensitive crime. Hitting back, she stated that a criminal has no religion or caste, and accused the senior minister of displaying a “cheap and toxic mentality” by linking a heinous act to the entire Yadav community.
Meanwhile, the local police have formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the incident thoroughly and identify all individuals involved. Authorities have also strictly warned the public against sharing the viral video to protect the minor victim’s identity.