Jamui Case Raises Fresh Questions Over Bihar Law and Order
Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary at the Niti Aayog meeting in New Delhi. (Image Choudhary on X)
By MANISH ANAND
Three suspects have been arrested after a viral video showed the alleged harassment of two Class 10 students; the case has triggered a wider debate over policing and public safety in Bihar.
New Delhi, September 21, 2026 — A viral social media post revealed most outrageous case of molestation and assault of a minor girl in Bihar’s Jamui. Two days after the incident, the police claim to have arrested three minor accused, while the main culprit is yet to be nabbed. The Jamui case is widely being called a representation of “Jungle Raj.” Ironically, Bihar had overwhelmingly voted for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) after the “Jungle Raj” plank had taken centre stage in last year’s Assembly elections in the state.
Reports said that two minors, studying in class X, were returning from their coaching classes. They were reportedly off the main highway. In the viral video, a man with face covered grabbed the girl’s private part in his bid to carry her away. The boy accompanying the girl was assaulted. The video makes it clear that a small mob pounced on the girl.
While the police seek to demand take down of the video from the social media platforms to protect the identity of the minor victims, the Jamui case leaves none in doubt that the law-and-order situations in Bihar need an urgent attention. This is more acute because a series of major crime incidents have rocked the state lately.
That a Bihar minister claimed that the Jamui incident was “minor” also bares disturbing normalisation of crime incidents in the state. Murders, dacoity, snatching, and stabbing cases are widely being reported from Bihar.
Only a few months ago, the killing of Bharat Tiwari had rocked the state. In the month of June this year, Jamui had also reported a wedding family looted.
Bihar Police claim to have carried out a large number of arrests of alleged murderers and dacoits in recent months. Yet crime cases are only spiking.
Local newspapers report at least two pages full of crime stories in their local city editions, covering cases of two or three districts. People in Bihar have long been claiming that crimes have risen due to alleged drug menace in the state.
Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary holds the Home department. He’s thus accountable for the law-and-order situation in the state. Before Nitish Kumar quit the post of the Chief Minister, Choudhary had taken the Home department from him. Choudhary is also well aware of the terrain of Jamui, for his father Shakuni Choudhary for decades had been a dominant political leader of the region.
The defeat of the Bahratiya Janata Party from Bankipur Assembly seat in the Patna district recently at the hands of Prashant Kishor had also been explained to the deteriorating law-and-order situation in the state.
The crime dots connect to a larger script that Bihar’s law-and-order situations acquiring alarming proportions aren’t on account of a few incidents but speak of a larger pattern unravelling for past couple of years. That is also a verdict on loosening grip of the political leadership on the state police.
(This is an opinion piece. Views expressed are the author’s own.)
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