Bihar thrashing case: All 9 accused named in the FIR arrested

Police have arrested all the nine accused, including three women, named in the FIR in connection with beating up of minor girl students of a state-run school here, a senior police official said Monday.

Thirty minor girl students in Bihar's Supaul district were beaten up by a mob after they protested against lewd comments on a wall allegedly written by boys of a neighbouring school.

The incident happened on Saturday evening when the students of the Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV), a residential school meant for SC, ST and OBC, were playing in the campus located at Darpakha village in Supaul under Triveniganj police station of the district.

All the nine persons, who were named in the FIR, were arrested by Sunday night, Superintendent of Police Mrityunjay Kumar Choudhary said.

The FIR was lodged following a complaint by KGBV's hostel warden Reema Raj.

The accused have been identified as Mohan Kumar, Hariom Sardar, Munna Sardar, Madhwa Sardar, Ajit Kumar, Vijay Kumar, Paro Devi, Arni Devi and Gavita Kumari, the SP said.

Three out of the nine were arrested by Sunday evening and the rest six were held by night, the officer said.

A section of police force has been deployed at the girls hostel for their security, Choudhary said.

Darbhanga zone Inspector General Pankaj Kumar Darad said he was keeping a close tab on the case.

Supual District Magistrate Baidyanath Yadav had said on Sunday that both the schools were in the same campus with separate buildings and a common playground.

The boys allegedly wrote some lewd comments on the wall of the girls school, which the girls resisted and beat up the boys before chasing them away.

The middle school boys, all minors, narrated the incident to their parents, following which their mothers teamed up with other villagers and entered the school premises and attacked the girls, the DM said.

He said 74 girl students were at the playground at the time of the incident and 30 of them received injuries and were admitted to Triveniganj referral hospital for treatment.

The remaining 10 are still undergoing treatment and will be released in a day or two, Yadav had said.

Meanwhile, politicians made a beeline to the school.

Congress' Supaul Lok Sabha MP Ranjeet Ranjan, BJP MLA Niraj Kumar Bablu and his MLC wife Nutan Singh visited the girls hostel and also met the victims at the hospital and enquired about their well-being.

Ranjan criticised the Nitish Kumar-led state government, terming the incident as "very unfortunate" and said the incidents of atrocities against women and girls have witnessed a sharp increase during the so-called "Sushashan government", a nomenclature often used by the chief minister to highlight his governance.