Muzaffarpur rape case: Bihar Health Minister condemns incident, assures swift justice

Patna (Bihar) [India], June 3 (ANI): Bihar Health Minister Mangal Pandey on Monday condemned the alleged rape and brutal assault of a nine-year-old girl in Muzaffarpur as "extremely sad and painful," assuring that immediate action has been taken and justice would be delivered through a speedy trial.
His remark comes amid mounting public anger and political outrage after the victim, attacked on May 26, succumbed to her injuries at a Patna hospital on June 1.
"Soon after the incident, the accused was arrested. The Muzaffarpur SSP has assured that a chargesheet will be filed promptly and a speedy trial will follow to ensure justice," Pandey said.
He added that the minor received treatment initially at SKMCH in Muzaffarpur and was later shifted to Patna for further care.
"Given the seriousness of the case, a high-level investigation is necessary," he added.
The victim, raped and attacked on May 26, succumbed to her injuries at Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) on Sunday. Her relatives alleged that the child was left waiting in an ambulance for several hours before she was admitted to the hospital on Saturday.
In a sharp reaction, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav launched a blistering attack on the state government, alleging complete law and order collapse.
"...There is not even a single district in Bihar where these (rape) kinds of incident are not taking place...There is a total collapse of law and order in Bihar...The innocents are being beaten by the police in jails...The Chief Minister and Deputy CMs only care about power...Bihar CM does not care about the people of Bihar...Crimes in the state are increasing..." Yadav said.
Muzaffarpur SSP Sushil Kumar said on Monday that the accused had been arrested and sent to judicial custody.
"This incident occurred on 27th May...The accused lived in a neighbouring village and knew them. He used to come there often. He was a fish seller. He lured the girl and raped her. Taking swift action, the Police arrested the accused. He has been sent to judicial custody. The FSL team had gone there, and the spot was examined. All samples have been collected, including samples from clothes too," Kumar said.
"We have sent all of this to FSL for examination. Besides this, we will file a chargesheet within 15 days. This will be brought under a speedy trial, so that we can take whatever further action is required," he added.
Meanwhile, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken suo motu cognizance of media reports detailing the tragic death of the victim on June 1 at PMCH, and has sought a detailed report from the state authorities. (ANI)