Third harassment case in days puts Bihar law and order under spotlight

• A case has been registered in Banka after a purported video of a woman being harassed at Mandar Hill surfaced online; police are conducting raids to arrest three accused.

• The incident comes days after similar cases were reported in Jamui and Samastipur, prompting criticism from Union minister Chirag Paswan and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav.

• Police have also booked those accused of circulating the Mandar Hill video and attempting to reveal the woman’s identity.

A purported video showing a young woman being harassed by a group of youths at the popular tourist destination of Mandar Hill in Bihar has triggered a fresh political row over law and order in the state, days after similar incidents were reported in Jamui and Samastipur.

Union minister Chirag Paswan called the incidents "shameful" and said the government could not "run away from accountability". Assembly leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav alleged that the three incidents reflected a "collapse of law and order" in Bihar.

Paswan said the issue could not be addressed merely through arrests or encounters and called for action against officials under whose jurisdiction such incidents occurred. "Such incidents are happening in our presence. We should be so ashamed that we feel like sinking into the ground," Paswan said, stressing that repeated incidents involving young women could not be ignored. "Those officials should be identified and action taken against them — under whose nose such major incidents are being carried out."

Paswan, who heads the LJP (RV), said the government could not "run away from accountability" over the incidents.

Yadav, the RJD national working president, alleged that the Banka incident, coming days after similar cases in Jamui and Samastipur, reflected a "collapse of law and order" in the state.

In a social media post, Yadav also alleged that the administration was influenced by the caste and social background of accused persons while dealing with criminal cases. He sought to know when those allegedly involved in the Banka incident would be arrested, and questioned the status of the five remaining accused in the Jamui case and the action taken against the four accused arrested in Samastipur.

"Will the chief minister respond only after checking their reels and caste," he asked.

Police said a case was registered at Bounsi police station in Banka district after they took cognisance of the video, which was received through WhatsApp on Tuesday, 22 September. According to a police statement, the footage appears to have been recorded on 3 June and an investigation is underway.

According to the FIR, the woman had visited Mandar Hill with two friends when three youths allegedly abused and threatened them and behaved indecently with her. One of the accused, identified as Abdullah, allegedly got Rs 1,500 transferred online from the account of one of the woman’s friends before allowing them to leave, police said.

The other two accused have been identified as Nitish Kumar Rai and Vikas Kumar. Police said raids were being conducted to arrest them.

A separate case has also been registered against those who allegedly circulated the purported video on social media and attempted to reveal the woman’s identity, police said.

The Banka case comes days after a teenage girl was allegedly harassed in Jamui following the circulation of a purported video showing a girl being harassed.

In Samastipur, a man was arrested after a purported video showing some youths behaving indecently with a minor girl surfaced on social media. Police said the video, which surfaced on 24 September, underwent technical verification, following which they ascertained that the incident had occurred on 14 August 2025 near Latabasepura village.

A case was registered under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the POCSO Act and the Information Technology Act, police said. Four persons allegedly involved in the incident have been identified, with one arrested within five hours of the police receiving information, they said.

With PTI inputs