Bihar minister in the dock over another sting op

A senior Bihar minister, who is in the eye of a storm after being caught on camera seeking favour for a jail inmate charged with corruption, today pleaded innocence, saying he had merely sought proper treatment for the physically-challenged man on "humanitarian grounds".

CM Nitish Kumar also came to the aid of embattled Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ramashray Prasad Singh, dismissing the demand for his sacking.

Singh was shown last night by a private TV channel asking State Home Secretary H C Sirohi over the phone to shift Bhanu Prakash, a physically-challenged employee of the Bihar Public Service Commission, from the Beur jail to a hospital.