Even though the crime data raises serious questions about the state of law and order situation in Bihar, supporters of Nitish Kumar nevertheless refer to him by ‘good governance’ and ‘Sushan babu’ tags. But the tragedy does not end here. About three months ago, a minor Hindu girl was kidnapped from Siwan, a town 100 kilometres away from the capital Patna.
The allegations in the case say one Salman Ansari kidnapped the Hindu minor girl. The victim’s father had run from pillar to post, begging for the return of his daughter but to no avail. Instead, the victim’s family are receiving threats for raising their voice against the kidnapping, as per reports.
The case has brought forth the apathy of the Bihar Police in providing justice to the father, whose minor daughter has gone missing for over three months. On the one hand, the Bihar Police have admitted that the abducted girl is a minor. On the other, it says she has become Muskaan Khatoon. The police say the girl has been sending messages requesting that she be left to her devices. It is also reported that the girl has been frequently changing sim cards, which has made detection and tracking her all but impossible.
The minor Hindu was abducted on 17 October 2022. Her father had lodged a complaint regarding the matter at the Maharajganj police station. Salman Ansari, Shahabuddin Ansari, Hazrat Ansari, Ishaq Miyan, Sadina and Ladli have been named in the complaint. The victim’s father has alleged that police had not taken requisite action in the matter. He said instead of arresting the culprits and recovering his daughter, the police had started harassing him. According to him, some of the accused named in the case were caught by the police on the first day. But left within 3 days.
OpIndia spoke to the distraught father, who has accused the police of being hand-in-gloves with the culprits. He said he was informed that his daughter is in Mumbai but despite knowing everything, the police administration is not taking any concrete action for the recovery of his daughter. He further alleged that he shared his daughter’s Mumbai with the police, who assured him of raiding the said place but did not bother to do so. He said the police had demanded fare for their travel to Mumbai, to which the victim’s family had agreed, yet the law enforcement officials did not act on the information shared by him.
The victim’s father says he has spent about Rs 90,000 to gather information about his daughter. He has also accused Salman’s elder brother, Hazrat, of threatening and abusing Hindus. It was also told that Salman’s family has refused to return the girl thrice in the Village Panchayat. He has expressed the possibility of shifting the girl from Mumbai to Pune. According to the victim’s father, a policeman from Maharajganj police station called and threatened them on 11 December 2022 after the people of Bajrang Dal came to his house for a visit.
Police dismiss allegations of inaction; claim they are made in anger
OpIndia also spoke to the in charge of the Maharajganj police station regarding the allegations made by the victim’s father. They say that the allegations are made in anger over the non-recovery of the girl. The station in charge claimed that they have received messages from the girl calling herself Muskaan Khatoon. In the message, she is requesting to leave herself free, the police official said. Describing the girl as a minor, the police station chief said that due to continuous changes in SIM cards, there is a problem in recovering the accused and the girl.
Regarding the allegation of police threatening the victim’s father, he said that all the employees of the police station are responsible and no one would indulge in such an act where a victim is being harassed. When OpIndia called the number from which the victim’s father was threatened, no one picked up the call.
Significantly, Salman, who is accused of abducting the girl along with his family members, works in Mumbai to make belts. His brother and other family members live in the village. Salman and the girl’s house are nearby. The police have registered a case under sections 363, 366 (A) and 34 of the IPC in this matter. OpIndia has a copy of the FIR.
