Bihar authorities on Saturday demolished illegal huts and encroachments allegedly linked to three absconding accused in the Mandar Hill molestation case, as police continued efforts to trace them following the circulation of a video showing a young woman being harassed at the tourist site.
The action was taken on government land in Banka district against structures allegedly belonging to Mohammad Abdullah, Nitish Kumar and Vikas Rai. Banka Superintendent of Police Amitesh Kumar said the encroachments were removed with bulldozers and administrative personnel under the supervision of the Bounsi Block Development Officer.
“Under the leadership of Block Development Officer Baunsi, encroachments made by illegal hutment construction of Abdullah, Vikas and Nitish on the government land were removed with the help of bulldozers and administrative force,” Kumar said.
Police raids were underway to arrest the three accused. A forensic science laboratory team also visited the site and collected evidence as part of the investigation.
Mandar Hill video triggers investigation
The case centres on a video that was widely circulated on social media and purportedly showed a young woman being harassed by a group of men at Mandar Hill, a popular tourist and pilgrimage destination in Banka.
Police had taken cognisance of the footage after receiving it through WhatsApp on September 22. The video appears to have been recorded earlier, with reports putting the date of the incident in June. According to police, the woman had visited Mandar Hill with two friends when the accused allegedly abused and threatened them and behaved indecently with her.
Additional reports said one of the accused, identified as Abdullah, allegedly made one of the woman's friends transfer ₹1,500 online before allowing them to leave. Police have also registered action against people accused of circulating the footage and attempting to disclose the woman's identity.
The incident has emerged amid a series of videos from Bihar showing alleged harassment and assault of women and minors. The Mandar Hill footage followed similar cases reported in Jamui and Samastipur within the same week.
Similar cases emerge in other Bihar districts
In Jamui, a video showed a minor girl and a male companion being stopped and harassed by a group of youths. Three accused were arrested in that case, while police subsequently continued efforts to identify others involved. Authorities have also warned against circulating footage that could reveal the identity of a minor victim.
Samastipur subsequently saw another case involving a minor girl. A video purportedly showed a group of men abusing and assaulting her after she was spotted with a boy. Four people were arrested after the footage surfaced, according to police.
In Madhubani, police also took cognisance of a month-old video purportedly showing a girl being assaulted in an agricultural field. Four accused were identified and a Special Investigation Team was formed to investigate the case.
Police have stressed that the identity of victims must not be disclosed, citing protections under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, the Juvenile Justice Act and the Information Technology Act.
Political row over disclosure of Jamui victim's identity
The incidents have also triggered a political dispute in Bihar.
BJP Bihar MLC Sheela Pandit lodged a complaint against RJD MP Misa Bharti, alleging that she had disclosed the identity of the Jamui victim. Bharti, in turn, had accused Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary of a similar lapse.
The police action in Banka comes as authorities face scrutiny over the circulation of videos depicting alleged assaults and harassment. In the Mandar Hill case, police are continuing their efforts to arrest the three accused while forensic teams examine evidence gathered from the site.