A cleric from a madarsa in Jehanabad, Bihar, is accused of sexually abusing a minor girl. The cleric, identified as Maulvi Abdul Mannan, a teacher at Albanat Ekra Academy in Jehanabad, allegedly took the minor to Patna under the guise of meeting a minister to secure a job for her. Upon reaching Patna, he claimed that the minister was in Delhi and that they needed to travel there. The minor reported that when she resisted going to Delhi, the cleric drugged her and forcibly took her to the city. In Delhi, near Jama Masjid, he brought her to a hotel and raped her.
According to a report by Dainik Bhaskar, the minor’s mother and the victim lodged a formal complaint against Abdul at the Jehanabad Nagar police station. The victim claimed that “the accused had lured many girls to Patna with promises of securing them jobs, and I was also convinced to accompany him under this pretence.” Meanwhile, the accused cleric has been on the run since the occurrence of the event.
In her statement, the victim levelled grave accusations against the Investigation Officer (IO), Sunil Kumar Yadav, who is involved in this case. She alleged that Sunil Kumar subjected her to torture and coerced her into not seeking medical treatment. Nonetheless, the IO has refuted these allegations.
The victim said in her complaint, “I left for college on the 7th of December at 10 a.m. The cleric had already said that we would have to go to Patna to get a job. There is a meeting with the Minister. He told me, ‘You take your documents and take the money too. I was thinking that I have to go to Patna, I will come in the evening.’ Since many girls had been taken to Patna earlier, I did not tell our mother.”
She added, “When we reached Patna, he said, ‘The minister is not here, he is in Delhi. We have to go to Delhi.’ I opposed this. Then he fed me something and forcefully took me to Delhi.” In Delhi, the cleric raped the victim.
The victim said that the cleric had committed the same crime with other girls. Demanding justice, she said, “If this matter is not investigated, I will commit suicide and the IO Sunil Kumar who is investigating my case will be responsible for this.”
The victim said that she visited the IO Sunil Kumar for 13 days but he did not take her complaint. Accusing him of torture, the victim said that the officer told her that nobody would marry her if she undergoes medical checkups. She said, “After this, I got scared and gave a statement in the court that nothing happened to me.”
Sunil Kumar said that the allegation made by the girl was false and that he didn’t pressurise her. The victim also said that the people from the family of the accused cleric Maulvi Abdul Mannan issued her death threats and threatened her to make her video viral.
The mother of the victim said that an FIR was lodged against Abdul Mannan by giving a written complaint at the Jehanabad Nagar police station. She said, “It has been more than a week since the FIR was filed, yet Maulvi Abdul Mannan is not arrested by the police. There are many girls whom he did wrong and who do not come forward out of fear, but we want it to be investigated. So that he can not do wrong to anyone else.”
Sub-Divisional Police Officer Rajiv Kumar said, “The girl’s family had filed a kidnapping case. Also, the girl’s family members refused to get the medical checkup of the minor. Therefore, the girl’s medical could not be done. A re-application has been made for medical treatment. The process is going on.”
