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Rabri Devi slams JD-U over Patna shelter home sexual assault case

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The opposition leaders in Bihar on Friday came out against the alleged incident of sexual assault at a shelter home in Gaighat in the state capital, which brought back the disturbing memories of the 2018 Muzaffarpur shelter home sex scandal.

A girl inmate of the shelter home in Patna recently alleged that she and others were subjected to sexual abuse on the direction of the centre’s superintendent. The Social Welfare Department, however, has given a clean chit to the shelter home’s superintendent, Vandana Gupta, and declared that the victim mentally unstable, leading to a public outcry.

Former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi of the RJD on Friday accused the Nitish Kumar-led government of being involved in the incident.

“They (the leaders of Nitish Kumar government) knew everything. The officials of the shelter homes are connected to the leaders of the ruling political parties. The people of Bihar and the country are watching how Nitish Kumar is ruling the state,” Rabri Devi said.

“When the Muzaffarpur shelter home incident took place, one JD-U minister was involved in it. This time too, Madan Sahani, the Social Welfare Minister, comes from the JD-U quota. On that occasion, the Nitish Kumar government had given a clean chit, this time too it gave a clean chit to the shelter home in Patna without conducting any investigation. The Patna police did not even register an FIR in this matter while the victim is running from pillar to post for the last six days seeking justice,” Rabri Devi said.

“The Patna high court has taken cognizance of the matter… Still, the double-engine government is victimising a sexual assault victim,” she said.

The incident at the Gaighat shelter home came to light six days ago when a girl who was released from the centre alleged that superintendent Gupta used to inject sedatives or force the inmates to consume tablets. When the women became unconscious, they were raped by men, she alleged.

The victim herself claimed to have undergone such harrowing experience at the instance of Gupta, who she claimed invited men inside the women’s shelter home.

“I was a victim of sexual assault many times inside the shelter home. The superintendent of the shelter home used to invite youth inside the home premises, who targeted girl inmates when they were in an unconscious or semi-unconscious stags. Several other inmates have the same story,” the victim said.

“The victim was released from the shelter home recently. When she came to our NGO, Mahila Vikas Manch, for some assistance to find a job, we asked about her health status. It was then that she revealed her plight before us,” said Veena Manvi, the convener of Mahila Vikas Manch.

“We immediately went to the women’s police station in Patna city, but the officer refused to register an FIR in this matter,” Manvi said.

“The district administration of Patna showed negligent attitude in this matter. The District Magistrate, SSP and other senior officers tried every possible way to suppress the voice of the victim. The Social Welfare Ministry has issued a letter in the matter and given a clean chit to the alleged superintendent without conducting any investigation,” said Seema Samridhi, a Supreme Court lawyer who also fought the Nirbhaya case in Delhi.

She came to Patna on Thursday to prosecute this case.

“Following the Nirbhaya case, if any girl alleges that she has been sexually assaulted or abused by any person, the police must register FIR first and then take up the investigation. In this case, the victim is running from pillar to post for the last six days, but no one is listening to her. Moreover, they tried every possible way to declare her as mentally challenged,” Samridhi said.

Crime

Mumbai Police Rebuts Social Media Claims About Missing Children; Warns Action Against Rumours

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A day after reports claimed that 12 minor children went missing within 36 hours across Mumbai, the Mumbai Police on Monday issued a statement rejecting the claims and warning social media users against spreading rumours related to missing or abducted children.

In a post on X, the Mumbai Police said, “Some social media accounts are spreading false information and rumours regarding missing and abducted children. We completely deny these claims.”

The police added that the process has been initiated to register FIRs and take strict legal action against individuals deliberately circulating false information to create fear among the public.

The clarification came a day after Media reported that 12 minor children, including eight girls, had gone missing within a 36-hour span. The unusually high number had triggered concerns about the possible presence of organised child trafficking networks in the city.

While some cases were linked to family disputes or children running away from home, a human trafficking angle was suspected in others.

According to Mumbai Police records, 145 children went missing between June and December 2025, including 93 girls. Between November 1 and December 6 alone, 82 missing cases were registered, with adolescents accounting for more than half. These included 41 girls and 13 boys under 18. Police said several children were later traced and reunited with their families.

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Crime

‘Drunk’ SUV Driver Ploughs Into Crowd After Hitting Several Vehicles In Sangli; 11 Injured

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Chaos unfolded in Maharashtra’s Sangli on Sunday when an SUV ploughed into a crowd after ramming several vehicles on Tilak Road near the Ganpati Temple. According to reports, 11 people, including five police personnel, were injured in the incident.

The accused driver has been identified as Praniket Dattatrey Panchal from the Barshi Road area in Latur. The vehicle first hit several vehicles before ploughing into a crowded stretch where people were walking to attend the Krushnamai Festival.

After the incident, the driver was pulled out of the vehicle by an angry mob and assaulted. The crowd also vandalised the SUV.

The accused was later rescued by the police.

According to reports, the driver was under the influence of alcohol when incident occured. The injured were rushed to hospitals for treatment. Police stated that the driver has been booked and further investigation is underway.

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National News

Fierce govt-Oppn showdown in LS over Rahul Gandhi’s mention of ex-Army chief’s unpublished memoir (Lead)

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New Delhi, Feb 2: The Lok Sabha witnessed uproarious scenes and a huge pandemonium with opposition and treasury benches getting into a face-off over the citing of an ‘unpublished’ book by former Army Chief Mukund Naravane.

LS Speaker Om Birla’s repeated attempts to bring order in the House failed utterly as the Congress party persisted with demands to quote Naravane’s memoirs while the government strongly objected, terming it ‘theatrics’.

The ruckus broke out after the Leader of Opposition (LoP), Rahul Gandhi, led the opposition charge during the debate on Motion of Thanks to the President’s address on Monday.

The Congress MP started his speech by targeting the Centre over an article in a magazine, based on the memoirs of former Army chief Naravane. This invited a quick and direct counter from Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and also Home Minister Amit Shah.

Gandhi said that the BJP questions the Congress party’s patriotism but blocks a book penned by a top officer of the Armed Forces.

As he started citing lines from the memoir, loud protests erupted from the treasury benches.

Rajnath Singh strongly objected to Gandhi’s quoting from the book, stating that the claims were vague as the book had not even published.

“What is the government scared of?” asked Rahul while doubling down his charge.

LS Speaker Om Birla advised the opposition members to refrain from citing any unverified subject, stating that this would amount to a breach of parliamentary norms.

As the opposition resorted to slogan-shouting, prompting a counter from HM Amit Shah. He urged the Speaker to direct the LoP to stop misleading the House with falsified claims.

The ruckus over Gandhi’s claims, where he stated that Chinese tanks were hurtling towards the Indian border, continued unabated as the opposition insisted on raising these charges while the treasury benches, including Union Ministers, erupted in protest.

The parliamentary rulebook was also cited by some BJP members, but the chaos and pandemonium persisted.

At one point, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav also rallied behind Rahul Gandhi and stated that since the China border is a sensitive matter, the Congress leader should be allowed to speak on the same.

Congress MPs also pointed fingers at the Speaker, claiming that the ruling party lawmakers have quoted false claims on the Nehru rule multiple times, but they were always given a free hand.

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