Muzaffarpur shelter home: 4 including former Asst. director of Social welfare detained by CBI

Central Bureau of Investigation has arrested four people including the then Assistant Director of Social Welfare Department, in connection with the Muzaffarpur shelter home case, informed sources on Thursday.

Among the four arrested persons, the other three are private individuals. The detained official of the social welfare department was the then in-charge of inspection of shelter homes.

There is also information of the searches being underway at the moment. Sources also revealed that CBI has frozen 20 bank accounts of Brajesh Thakur, the prime accused in the case.

Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court lifted the ban imposed on media that restrained it from reporting on the Muzaffarpur shelter home case.

A bench of the Apex Court, headed by Justice Madan Bhimrao Lokur, has set aside the Patna High Court order which had restrained the media from reporting on the case. The top court has however asked the media to highlight and report the case in a more responsible manner.

Reiterating the responsible reporting guidelines for such cases, it also said that no media will reveal the identity of the victim in any form not even in morphed or blurred.

The Patna High Court has earlier restrained the media from reporting on Muzaffarpur shelter home case by citing that the certain sections of media had reported the identities of victims.

A Patna based Journalist, Nivedita Jha, had moved the Apex Court seeking setting aside of the Patna High Court order and to allow the media to report and highlight the Muzaffarpur shelter home case.

The Supreme Court has also directed the CBI to alert the income tax authorities to look into the funds of more than Rs 4.5 crores and purchase of 35 vehicles, as received by the NGO, Seva Sankalp Evam Vikas Samiti, and by accused, Brajesh Thakur.

Filing a status report before the Supreme Court, CBI stated that neighbours had heard screams from the girls at odd hours but did not say anything due to fear and influence of Brajesh Thakur.

The SC also noted 8 girls were shifted from the Seva Sankalp Evam Vikas Samiti shelter home in March, after the visit of Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) delegation. The Apex Court has also asked CBI to seize documents from Social welfare department to know the reason behind shifting of these girls.