Accused shifted to Patiala
: Brajesh Thakur, the prime accused in Muzaffarpur shelter home sexual abuse case, was shifted to Punjab’s Patiala jail on-board a sleeper class coach of Amrapali Express from Naugachhia railway station late on Wednesday night as per the Supreme Court’s direction.
Thakur was earlier shifted to Naugachhia station from Bhagalpur under SHO-led security cover of 19 policemen.
The same security detail accompanied him to Nabha, maximum high security jail in Patiala.
“Process to shift Thakur from Bhagalpur jail to Patiala began on late Tuesday night, as a team of Bhagalpur police, along with district administration officials, brought him to Naugachhia on way to Amritsar,” said a district police officer adding that he would appear before special POCSO court at Muzaffarpur through video conferencing.
Police said that Katihar-Amritsar Amrapali Express arrived at Naugachhia station around 11.57pm (Wednesday) and would be reached at Amritsar on Friday at around 12.45 pm.
The police administration also took all care to ensure that he was not provided any special treatment as per the directives of the SC during his transfer to Patiala.
He was booked in a sleeper class (S-3) compartment of the Amrapali Express like an ordinary prisoner and whisked away to the train from the retiring room.
Jail officials said after the mandatory medical examination by doctors of Bhagalpur sadar hospital, in accordance with the jail manual.
At Naugachhia railway station, Thakur told the media persons that he is innocent and CBI framed him. He alleged that CBI tortured my family members since three months and seized my all bank accounts.
Earlier, Thakur was kept at Shaheed Khudiram Bose central jail at Muzaffarpur after his arrest on June 2 and later shifted him Bhagalpur on October 11.
The SC had ordered that Thakur should be shifted out of the state to the high-security jail in Patiala, amid reports that he was trying to influence the investigation. Around 34 out of 44 inmates were drugged and raped in the Muzaffarpur shelter home, run by Thakur`s NGO. The incident was revealed during a social audit by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai. Medical examination later confirmed sexual abuse of most of the minors in the shelter home.
IG Prison Mithlesh Kumar Mishra said all directives of the top court were followed and no special facility was provided to him.