New Delhi, Sep 21: Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Monday criticised the alleged molestation of two Class 10 students in Bihar Jamui district, questioning the delay in the arrest of those involved and raising concerns over the safety of girls and women in public spaces.

“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”, Gandhi said in a post on X.

“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,” he said.

Gandhi further said that such attitudes are normalised by ‘Andhbhakts’.

“When control is mistaken for culture, and such attitudes are normalised by Andhbhakts, mobs start believing they are the law,” Gandhi said.

He further said that the Bihar government must answer why a girl is not safe on a public road.

“Every individual in that video must be identified and prosecuted under POCSO, and justice must be swift. 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,” he said.

The incident came to light after a video purportedly showing the alleged harassment and molestation of a young boy and girl, both reportedly Class 10 students at a private school in Jamui town, while they were travelling on a scooter after attending coaching classes, surfaced on social media.

According to an official, the incident took place in the border area between Jamui and Lakhisarai, near the jurisdiction of Jamui Town police station.

The video allegedly shows a group of people stopping the two riders and molesting the young girl.

At one point, a man grabbed the girl by the neck and lifted her off the ground, holding her from underneath.

The boy immediately ran towards her and intervened. During the scuffle, one of the men also touched her breast.

When the young boy accompanying her reportedly objected, he was also assaulted.

One of the individuals present reportedly recorded the incident, and the video was subsequently shared on social media.

The authenticity and precise circumstances of the video have not been independently verified.

The emergence of the video has triggered concern among local residents, particularly over the safety of girls and women travelling in the area.

Jamui police have taken the matter seriously and initiated an investigation.

Two individuals have been arrested in connection with the incident and are being questioned.

Police are also examining the video to identify other people who may have been involved in the terrifying incident.

DSP, Cyber, Abhishek Kumar said the incident had come to the police’s attention and that an investigation was underway.

He said preliminary information indicated that the incident occurred in the border area between Jamui and Lakhisarai.

The officer said the exact circumstances and other details would become clear only after the investigation is completed.

Police are continuing efforts to identify all those involved and determine the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Hyderabad, Sep 21: An auto-rickshaw driver was to death allegedly by a group of people following an argument over Rs. 10 change in the old city of Hyderabad, police said.

The incident occurred on Sunday evening in Vattepally under limits of Falaknuma Police Station.

The victim was identified as Mohammed Mukarram (42). His brother Mohammed Afroz said he was brutally assaulted and murdered in front of his family members.

According to Afroz, when a passenger who gave Rs.200 note to Mukarram towards the auto fare of Rs.10, Mukarram asked him to pay the change. This led to an argument and the passenger called some others who thrashed Mukarram, resulting in grievous injuries. He succumbed before he could be shifted to a hospital.

Afroz alleged that Azeem, reporter of a local news channel, Shoaib and 6-8 others were involved in the killing.

“My brother was epileptic and weak-hearted. Despite my requests to spare him, they kept raining blows on him and he collapsed,” said Afroz as he broke down narrating the incident before media.

Mukarram is survived by wife and four children. Afroz demanded the government to do justice to the family by ensuring harshest punishment to the killers.

Police said they have registered a case and took up investigation.

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) MLA Mohammed Mubeen visited the area and consoled the family of the victim.

The MLA demanded immediate arrest of the accused. He voiced concern over the growing incidents of crime in Vattepally area and demanded the police to intensify patrolling.

The incident occurred amid spate of murders in Hyderabad. The city has witnessed eight murders during the last two weeks.

Use of knives, sickles and other sharp-edged weapons for targeting murders in crowded places is causing a huge public concern.

Last week, a rowdy sheeter was hacked to death inside a wine shop permit room in Bandlaguda area. Previous enmity with a childhood friend was said to be the motive behind the killing.

Voicing concern over the series of murders, AIMIM president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi recently demanded that the government establish dedicated anti-murder squads of the police to ensure swift investigations and secure convictions within a year.

Nalanda, Sep 21: A brick kiln contractor allegedly abducted and brutally assaulted a labourer and his wife over a disputed debt of Rs 1,000, killing the labourer, Surendra Manjhi, and burying his body in a pit, police said. The body was later recovered, and raids were launched to arrest the accused on Monday.

The deceased man’s wife, Nauleja Devi, alleged that she and her husband were forcibly taken from their house and assaulted. She also claimed that the accused subjected them to electric shocks inside a house.

Speaking to media, Nauleja said, “We had taken the money and had almost paid all of it, but only Rs 1,000 was left.”

“They came and kidnapped us and beat me and my husband after tying us to a tree. They beat us four times. They almost broke my legs, but somehow I managed to save myself,” she alleged.

“They killed my husband around 4 a.m. Only Rs 1,000 was left to pay. We had already paid the entire Rs 60,000 we had taken from them,” she said.

“Despite us having paid the money, they abducted me and my husband,” she alleged.

Nauleja further alleged that the accused were demanding Rs 7 lakh over the remaining Rs 1,000.

“They were demanding Rs 7 lakh for Rs 1,000. How could we have paid such a huge amount? We had taken this money around four years ago. That is why they were demanding it and killed my husband,” she alleged.

Nauleja claimed that the accused took them to Paparnousa village, where her husband was allegedly killed.

“They took us to Paparnousa village, where they killed my husband. They murdered him in that village itself. Those who killed him were from the Yadav community,” she alleged.

The woman is a resident of Nilkanth Bigha village and said she and her husband had been working at a brick kiln for around a year.

“We were working there at the brick kiln for one year,” she said.

The incident reportedly took place around a week ago.

She further alleged that she and her husband had been working at the brick kiln and named Mukesh Yadav, Manish, Dilkhush and Mauli Devi as those allegedly responsible for the incident.

Police have recovered Surendra’s body and launched raids to trace and arrest the accused. Further investigation into the allegations and circumstances surrounding the death is underway.