Muzaffarpur shelter home rape case: CBI probe ordered against Bihar CM Nitish Kumar

In what can be a huge jolt to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, a special POCSO court in Muzaffarpur has ordered CBI probe against Bihar CM Nitish Kumar in connection with the Muzaffarpur shelter home rape case. CBI is probing this case.

Along with Nitish Kumar, a probe has been ordered against Muzzaffarpur district magistrate Dharmendra Singh and principal secretary of Social Welfare Atul Prasad.

The state government allegedly continued funding shelter homes even after Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) submitted the report that brought the horrific details to light.

The case had come to light last year when a report of the social audit conducted by Mumbai-based Tata Institute of Social Sciences flagged sexual abuse of inmates at the Muzaffarpur



shelter home.

An FIR was lodged in May last year and a number of persons, including Brajesh Thakur, the owner of the NGO running the shelter home, were arrested by police in connection with the scandal.

The matter was handed over to the CBI in July. Shortly afterwards, state social welfare minister Manju Verma stepped down after media reported that her husband had close links with Thakur.

Thakur has been shifted to a jail in Patiala following the order of the Supreme Court even as other accused, including his close aides and some government officials are lodged in jails at Patna and Muzaffarpur.

The apex court had recently also directed the CBI to take over the probe into allegations of sexual abuse at all such shelter homes across the state.