A viral video from Jamui showed the alleged harassment and molestation of two teenagers returning from coaching class
JD(U) Bihar president Umesh Singh Kushwaha said the government was sensitive and urged people to recall Bihar before 2005
Congress and the RJD attacked the BJP-led Bihar government over law and order and women’s safety
A video of the alleged harassment and molestation of two teenagers in Bihar's Jamui has set off public outrage and a political clash. The BJP-led state government is facing opposition attacks while JD(U) is defending its response.
The incident involved a Class 10 girl and a male friend who were returning from a coaching class when they were allegedly stopped on a road and assaulted. After the video spread on social media, Congress and the RJD questioned law and order in the state.
Bihar Minister Shravan Kumar on Monday described the alleged molestation case in Jamui as a “sporadic incident." “The world is not entirely free of crime. Sporadic incidents keep happening. The government has its eye on these sporadic incidents. Those who commit such acts cannot escape in Bihar. Strict action has been taken against them in the past as well…," the Bihar Minister said.
JD(U) Bihar president Umesh Singh Kushwaha defended the government and said those responsible would be arrested soon. ANI reported that he also linked the episode to the opposition's record in power before 2005, a line that sharpened the political confrontation.
Kushwaha Defends Response
Kushwaha stood by the government.
“Recall Bihar before 2005,” JD(U) Bihar president Umesh Singh Kushwaha said. ANI reported that he added: “The government is sensitive to any incident that occurs. Govt and Administration are looking into it. Recall the RJD rule, the time before 2005. Our government is sensitive towards all sporadic incidents that occur... The guilty will be caught by the Police at the earliest,” Kushwaha told ANI.
His remarks drew criticism because the Jamui case had already triggered anger online and on the ground. The comments were also seen as an oblique attack on the RJD, which was in power till mid-2005. Kushwaha later said his remarks had been "distorted".
He later condemned the incident in a post on X. “The shameful and inhuman incident that has come to light involving a minor girl student in Jamui is extremely heartbreaking, reprehensible, and soul-stirring. An SIT has been formed in the case. Three accused have been arrested, and raids are underway for the arrest of the other accused,” he said.
Kushwaha also issued a warning. “Criminals, listen with your ears wide open: there is no place for crime or criminals in Bihar. The government will leave no stone unturned in ensuring time-bound justice for the victim's family. Such stringent action will be taken against the criminals that it will serve as an example in the future,” he added.
Opposition Attacks Government
Congress and the RJD targeted the BJP-led Bihar government over the Jamui incident and raised questions over the state's law-and-order situation. The JD(U)-BJP coalition is in power in Bihar, and the case quickly turned into a fresh contest over governance and public safety.
RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav accused the government of letting “goonda raj” spread in the state. “This is a truly tragic incident. We are deeply ashamed. The government, however, seems to have lost all sense of shame or decency regarding such events. It raises serious doubts about the safety of girls in Bihar today. 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. The saddest part is that instead of taking action, the government and the police work to suppress and cover up these matters. Instead of securing justice for victims, they focus on hushing up the cases. It is utterly shameful. A state of lawlessness—gunda-raj — has completely taken hold in Bihar,” he told reporters.
Yadav separately attacked Kushwaha for describing the episode as an “isolated” or “minor” one. “It is really sad they are calling the assault on the girl and boy as isolated. Had the same happened with any family member of any leader, would they have said the same thing. The hrassament incident is shameful,” Yadav said.
He sharpened that criticism further. “It is goonda raj prevailing in Bihar. The state government has no shame. What is more intriguing is that administration is trying to hide and suppress such incidents instead of taking action against the culprits,” Yadav said.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also posted on X. “The video from Jamui, Bihar, is deeply disturbing. Two Class 10 students were stopped on a road. Harassed. Humiliated. Molested. A young girl, hands folded, begged to be let go while goons groped her and dragged her away. Who gave these men the right to behave like this? This is not 'culture.' It is patriarchy: the belief that any man can police a girl's body, her movement, her choices,” Rahul wrote.
Incident And Fallout
The assault involved a Class 10 girl who was returning from a coaching class with a male friend. Miscreants in Jamui allegedly assaulted and groped her, and the case gained attention after a video of the episode went viral and drove up political heat in the state.
An FIR was registered after the incident came to light. The government later formed a Special Investigation Team, according to Kushwaha, and arrested three accused while raids continued to trace the others.
The political backdrop is central to the row. The JD(U)-BJP coalition is in power in Bihar, while the ruling NDA has long attacked the RJD's tenure from 1990 to 2006 over alleged deterioration in law and order and major crime cases during that period. That history shaped Kushwaha's remarks invoking the period before 2005 and turned the Jamui incident into a wider fight over governance.
Yadav tied the case to broader concerns over women's safety and crime in Bihar. “Now, anybody going on an outing are getting assaulted and molested. Girls are not safe anywhere in the state. Criminals are all emboldened in Bihar and crime is going unabated with dry drugs, incidents of chain snatching, murder and rape happening with disconcerting regularity. The government it seems is failing to contain crime incident,” Yadav said.
BJP Counters Criticism
The ruling parties pushed back.
The BJP and JD(U) urged the opposition not to politicise the incident and insisted that action was under way against those involved. Their response focused on arrests, the SIT probe and a promise of punishment.
BJP spokesperson Kuntal Krishna said no culprit who plays with the dignity of daughters will be spared, and the police will set an example so no one can commit such a daring act again.
