Patna, Sep 23: JDU national spokesperson Rajeev Ranjan has said that the Bihar government has taken action against social media sites on which Jamui’s molestation victim’s video was circulated.

He added that action is being taken against 120 social media accounts that revealed the victim’s identity.

Ranjan was speaking to media in relation to the recent statement by Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary on Jamui’s molestation case, where the latter said that “a criminal has no caste.”

Ranjan explained that if one examines the Chief Minister’s claim through data, it is clear that arrests in criminal cases have nothing to do with caste or religion. “If you have committed a crime, the police will not spare you,” he said.

He added that through the Jamui incident, Bihar has sent a strong message that such actions will not be spared.

“Action is also being taken against the social media sites on which the video was circulated. Action has been taken against 120 social media accounts,” he said.

Ranjan further stated that those who made the video, those who circulated it, those who displayed it on their platforms, and those who misbehaved with the minor girl are all being investigated thoroughly.

“Five of the accused have been arrested; the other two will be arrested soon. The state police have shown that criminals are going to face very tough times,” he concluded.

BJP chief spokesperson Pratul Shahdeo also reacted to the matter, saying: “How could one judge a criminal by their caste? I have never heard that criminals, rapists have a certain caste.” Commending the Bihar Police, he said the authorities took immediate and strict action against the culprits, made arrests, and two personnel were injured in the encounter. All of the accused were arrested, including minors.

Expressing that what happened to the girl was shameful and heartbreaking, Shahdeo said the National Commission for Women also took cognisance. A team from the commission is reaching the incident site. The Chief Minister has also announced that all the accused will be punished through a fast-track court. He criticised RJD, saying the party was looking for caste in this matter and had brought shame to the state.

Meanwhile, Congress leader Abhishek Dutt said that encounters were done after the molestation had already happened. “Encounters are done after the murder happens. Encounters are done after the crimes are committed. Who saves these criminals before the crimes are committed?” he asked.

He added that when the media pressures and everything comes out in public, the accused are easily found, evidence is found, and the encounter is done.

“What happens in the remaining 365 days?” he asked.

Continuing, Dutt said that if crime is given importance throughout the year, if there is no communal divide, and if strong actions are taken against all criminals, then there will be change.

“If vigilance is maintained before the crime happens, then no one will dare to commit such a heinous crime,” he said.

New Delhi, Sep 23: Congress leader Abhishek Dutt on Wednesday reacted to Lady Shri Ram College for Women (LSR) shifting classes online following the alleged gang rape of a minor in Delhi’s Aastha Kunj Park, saying the move sends a ‘big message’ about women’s safety in the national capital.

“When LSR College shifts classes online over women’s safety, it sends a clear message that women are not safe in Delhi,” Dutt said.

The remarks came as Lady Shri Ram College for Women cancelled regular classes on Tuesday and shifted them to online mode for Wednesday following the alleged rape of a 17-year-old girl at a park nearby, with the college administration stating that the safety of its students remained its top priority.

Speaking to media, Dutt said, “There is a big message for the country. LSR College is one of the top colleges in the world and its alumni are spread across the country. When LSR College shifts classes online over women’s safety, it sends a clear message that women are not safe in Delhi.”

“Sadly, the people who raped the minor girl posed as police officers. The way several private individuals were seen carrying police batons at Jantar Mantar shows that the fear of the law has disappeared from the minds of criminals. Most Delhi Police officers are deployed for the security of VIPs, while the safety of ordinary people is being neglected,” he added.

Dutt also reacted to Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu’s direction to create a dedicated ‘Pink Force’ for women’s safety, questioning the existing deployment of women personnel and policing infrastructure in Delhi.

“The LG makes political statements. First, the LG should tell us how many women personnel are there in the Delhi Police. How many metro stations are there in Delhi, and do they have adequate policing? There is a shortage of around 12,000 security personnel in the Delhi Police. At least 50 police personnel remain deployed at the LG’s residence. Merely making statements will not achieve anything,” he said.

“The LG should immediately review the security provided to all MPs, MLAs, former MLAs and BJP leaders in Delhi, where anywhere between two and 50 police personnel have been deployed with them. If the Delhi Home Minister, the Union Home Minister, the Delhi Chief Minister, MLAs and MPs are not safe, then expecting the safety of ordinary people is a distant prospect,” Dutt added.

On Tuesday, Sandhu directed the police to draw up a dedicated force on the lines of the Goa Police’s Pink Force, with women personnel deployed at identified hotspots, particularly during vulnerable hours.

The move came amid four separate cases of alleged rape or sexual assault involving minors reported across Delhi in about 10 days.

New Delhi, Sep 23: Amid the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) row, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) and election officials of wrongdoing and issued a warning, saying that the “time will come, we will not spare you”.

Taking to social media platform X, Gandhi said, “‘Vote chori’ is a crime against the Indian people and a direct attack on our Constitution.”

“The BJP, RSS and EC who organised it have committed an act of treason. Justice will be served,” he said.

Gandhi also shared a video in which he said, “Main Election Commission aur election officers ko saaf keh raha hoon. Aap jo kar rahe ho, galat kar rahe ho (I am clearly telling the Election Commission and election officers: What you are doing is wrong).”

“Ye treason hai. Yeh rajdroh hai. Time aayega! Hum aapko pakdenge, bachne wale nahi ho (This is treason. This is an act of sedition. The time will come! We will catch you; you will not be able to escape),” he added.

The latest controversy comes after a leading daily published an investigative report claiming that on 14 occasions over a period of 10 months, two Election Commissioners had objected on record to steps taken by the Commission.

According to the report, the objections related to a range of decisions and processes, including allegations that the commissioners were kept in the dark about certain matters and issues concerning the addition of new voters and deletion of names from electoral rolls.

Earlier in the day, the ECI rejected a report by a leading newspaper claiming that two Election Commissioners had “objected on record” to several decisions taken by the poll panel, allegedly without their knowledge.

People familiar with the developments and having direct knowledge of the matter said that no Election Commissioner had recorded any dissent on the decisions taken by the poll body. They said the two commissioners had only made certain observations, which were subsequently examined by the Commission.

Meanwhile, Senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram on Wednesday said that all decisions taken by the poll body in recent years should be reviewed by a Parliamentary Committee.

He also demanded that the Special Intensive Review (SIR) process, which is currently underway across several parts of the nation, should be immediately suspended.