Bihar: Mithilanchal storyteller Shravan Das Ji Maharaj arrested in minor rape case; associate absconding

Darbhanga (Bihar) [India], January 19 (ANI): A storyteller Shravan Das, from the Mithilanchal region has been arrested in connection with an alleged minor rape case, police said on Monday.
Darbhanga Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Jagunath Reddy said the arrest was carried out by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Rajiv Kumar.
"A joint team from the Women's Police Station, Laheriasarai Police Station, and other nearby stations, acting on a tip-off, apprehended the accused from the Housing Board Colony," the SSP said.
According to the FIR registered at the Women's Police Station, the accused is alleged to have sexually exploited a minor girl over a prolonged period after promising to marry her. The complaint, filed by the victim's mother, further alleges that the accused forced the minor to undergo an abortion.
SSP Jagunath Reddy added that the role of Mauni Baba, who is said to be an associate and guru of the storyteller, is also under investigation. "Mauni Baba is currently absconding," he added.
Darbhanga SSP further stated that the accused is being interrogated thoroughly, and further legal action is underway in the case.
Meanwhile, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav on Sunday slammed the Nitish Kumar-led Bihar government, accusing it of being complicit in crimes against women and minors across the state.
He alleged that the administration protects criminals and criticised the Chief Minister's silence on recent heinous incidents against women in Madhepura, Khagaria, and Patna.
In a post on X, Yadav wrote, "The corrupt system and machine-made double-engine NDA government has become a reliable tool for oppressors, corrupt individuals, criminals, and rapists. The insensitive Nitish government in Bihar, formed through vote-buying, is perpetrating atrocities on minor girls, female students, daughters, and women across the entire state. Because these are atrocities sustained by those in power, the government's key figures are maintaining a hypocritical silence on these spine-chilling horrific incidents while pretending to be saints. In Madhepura, the gang rape and murder of a widow woman; in Khagaria, the heinous gang rape and murder of a 4-year-old minor girl; in Patna, the rape of a NEET aspirant from Jehanabad, followed by a brutal murder and a cover-up protected by those in power, these incidents show that this government has become ruthless, cruel, and inhuman."
Yadav accused the Bihar police of using force against protesters while protecting criminals involved in crimes against women and children. (ANI)