Condemning Muzzafarpur Shelter Home Case, CM Nitish Kumar proposes impartial CBI probe under purview of Patna HC

Patna, August 7: With the incidence of ‘Muzzafarpur Shelter Home Case’ coming in limelight, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday condemned the incident and stated that the Central Bureau of Investigation is conducting an inquiry under the purview of the Patna High Court.

Making things clear after rumors mongering on the Chief Minister being quiet and the state government having connections in this issue, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar said that the state government acted on information received from TISS but had no knowledge prior to that. The case was handed over to the CBI to avoid any confusion.

Putting the blame on the long-standing "flaw in the system" of such shelter homes being run by NGOs in the entire country, Nitish Kumar announced his decision to phase out this practice in Bihar and said the state government would take over the administration of all such centers over a period of time.

CM Nitish Kumar further said that if someone at a minister-level is found to be involved, they will be punished. He added that if someone related to the minister is found guilty, they won't be spared too, he said in response to Opposition demand for Social Welfare Minister Manju Verma's resignation. "No one who had committed a crime will be spared," he said. Nitish Kumar also asked if it's justified to level baseless allegations.

Taking a dig at people raising questions, he asked who knew about the Muzaffarpur incident before their investigation. In an apparent reference to the Opposition protest, the chief minister said that the protest was held to destroy the debate on corruption. He added that the political leaders protesting against the incident are not concerned about the girls but, only want to change the debate.

The Bihar Chief Minister also took potshots at his former party colleague Sharad Yadav and other Opposition leaders for attending a protest in the national capital on the issue, organised by RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, saying it was amusing to see people having spoken unkindly of women holding candle lights at an event organised by a person facing corruption charges.

Earlier also, CM Nitish Kumar had said that "no leniency will be shown towards" the guilty. "We are ashamed of the incident which has taken place in Muzaffarpur. CBI is investigating the case and the high court should monitor it," he had said.

Meanwhile, the Lok Sabha has been tarnished with protests over the Muzaffarpur shelter home case. Two MPs from Bihar on Monday staged protests in the Lok Sabha demanding justice for victims of the Muzaffarpur case, claiming evidence of the crime was destroyed.

Meanwhile, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) investigation into the matter has picked up the pace, as the agency has taken all documents and evidence from local police and administration. CBI is getting in touch with TISS team who audited the shelter home in Muzaffarpur, news agency ANI reported.

Patna High Court has also sought a detailed action report from CBI and Bihar government in the matter.