Child rapes: Court orders probe of CM

AT LEAST 34 GIRLS WERE SEXUALLY ABUSED AT CARE HOME IN BIHAR

Acourt in Bihar yesterday ordered the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar in connection with the child care home sex scandal.

At least 34 girls were allegedly sexually abused by officials running the care home.

The development has come as a severe setback for the chief minister ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

A special court on the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POSCO) ordered the CBI investigation of the chief minister, while acting on a petition by Dr Ashwini Kumar, one of the accused persons in the case.

Dr Kumar, in his petition, called for a probe of the Bihar chief minister, officials working with the Social Welfare Department and other senior officials concerned, who found no discrepancies during inspections of the child care home in Muzaffarpur town.

He alleged all these people enjoyed cordial relations with the main accused, Brajesh Thaur, who is being held custody in Patiala jail.

“Looking into our complaint, the court later ordered for a CBI probe against the chief minister and his officials who gave clean chit to the care home during their previous inspections,” said lawyer Sudhir Kumar Ojha, who appeared for the accused Dr Kumar.

Inspections

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He wondered how his client could be an “accused” if officials who inspected the care home in the past found nothing wrong there.

“If the inspection reports are correct then my client is innocent and if they are wrong, then the role of everyone, from the chief minister to his officials be investigated,” Ojha asked, ultimately prompting the court to order the investigation by the CBI.

The doctor is accused of visiting the care homes at frequent intervals and administering sedatives to the girls before they were sexually abused. His arrest came after a large quantity of sedatives were recovered from the care home during the raids.

Meanwhile, the opposition has called for the resignation of the chief minister.