In the Musahar basti of Govindpur Diyara (Bihpur block) in Bhagalpur, Prabhash Choudhury, a forward caste criminal protected by the RJD-BJP, raped a 7-year old minor Muslim girl who was alone in her hut on 21 January 2017. When she protested, he brutalized and injured her and she is currently in hospital battling for life. The rapist Prabhash Choudhury is notorious in the region for atrocities against Dalits and minorities and is wanted in several cases of atrocities. Yet, the police has not yet arrested him.
A CPI(ML) enquiry team visited the site of the incident on 24 January 2017. Govindpur is inhabited almost entirely by mahadalit Musahar families. The victim girl’s family is the sole minority Muslim family whose hut, a “bansa” to keep a watch on the fields, is far away from the main population. The irony is that men and women from most Musahar families had gone to Bihpur to take part in Nitish Kumar’s “anti-liquor human chain” on that day. The rapist has offered Rs 1 lakh as bait to hush up the matter. Although a case has been registered in the Naugachhiya Mahila thana, no action has been taken so far.
The CPI (ML) took out a protest rally against the rape on 24 January and submitted a memorandum to the district officer demanding action. Party leaders said that the Nitish government turns a blind eye to attacks on Dalits and minorities, and its “social justice” promise remains nothing but a farce. The Party demanded the immediate arrest of Prabhash Choudhury, speedy trial and punishment, full and proper treatment for the victim child, Rs 10 lakhs as compensation, and removal of the Bihpur thana in-charge.
