PATNA: Congress leader and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi strongly condemned a viral video from Bihar’s Jamui district showing a group of men allegedly confronting, harassing and molesting two Class 10 students on a public road.In a post on X, Gandhi expressed outrage over the incident and questioned the state administration over the safety of women and children and the delay in arrests. He asked how ordinary citizens could feel secure when minors were allegedly targeted in public.“The video from Jamui, Bihar, is deeply disturbing. Two Class 10 students were stopped on a road. Harassed. Humiliated. Molested. A young girl, hands folded, begged to be let go while goons groped her and dragged her away. Who gave these men the right to behave like this? This is not “culture.” It is patriarchy: the belief that any man can police a girl’s body, her movement, her choices,” Rahul Gandhi wrote.The Congress leader also criticised what he described as the normalisation of mob vigilantism and harassment, demanding immediate legal action under stringent child protection laws.“When control is mistaken for culture, and such attitudes are normalised by Andhbhakts, mobs start believing they are the law. Every individual in that video must be identified and prosecuted under POCSO, and justice must be swift.”Gandhi also raised questions over accountability and asked why the alleged perpetrators had not been arrested days after the incident.“And if the incident happened on September 19th, why are the culprits not behind bars yet? And the Bihar government must answer why a girl is not safe on a public road at 7 pm?”Meanwhile, Bihar Police launched a manhunt after the video showing the alleged molestation of the students surfaced online, prompting condemnation from political leaders and an official investigation.Jamui Superintendent of Police Vishwajit Dayal said police acted after receiving the viral video and traced the victim to record her statement.“A video went viral this morning, and we received it as well. Based on that video, we identified the victim and recorded her statement. It was revealed that the incident took place around 7 PM on the 19th, showing some youths from the village engaging in molestation… Six or seven individuals are visible in the video. We have identified some of them,” SP Vishwajit Dayal said.(With Agency Inputs)
