In Bihar, a teenage boy and girl returning from coaching were stopped, attacked, and molested; three people taken into custody.

On Saturday, a group of guys stopped a teenage boy and girl returning from coaching classes in Jamui, Bihar. They encircled them, questioned them, and assaulted and molested them before letting them go. Police said a case has been filed under relevant sections of the POCSO Act and three people have been arrested. Additional individuals identified in the video are being sought for by the authorities.

Videos show the two adolescents begging the men, who allegedly touch the woman inappropriately, pick her up, and attempt to flee. Superintendent of Police (Jamui) Vishwajeet Dayal claims that the incident happened on September 19 between 6 and 7 p.m. The kids were returning from coaching courses, according to a source.

A number of people can be seen around the kid and girl as they ride the scooter in one of the videos. The two apologize to the group several times. The boy informs everyone around him that everyone at home is aware of them and that they attend the same school. After slapping the boy, one of the group members adds, “If they know, then call them.” “Call the family,” another person can be heard saying.

The girl is seen begging the gang to let them go while folding her hands. “Please let us leave, we will never come back again,” she can be heard saying in another video. The two are finally heard being told to leave by a few members of the group in the footage.

Members of the group are seen pursuing the boy and girl in another video. A man is seen grabbing and lifting the girl as he flees, while the boy is grabbed by the neck of his shirt.

Following the event, the recordings appeared on social media, which led the Jamui police to become aware of the situation and launch an inquiry.

Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha, described the occurrence as “very troubling” and demanded that the perpetrators be found and brought to justice under the POCSO. Calling for a swift justice, Gandhi asked, “Bihar government must answer why a girl is not safe on a public road at 7 pm?”

“Who gave these men the right to behave like this? This is not “culture.” It is patriarchy: the belief that any man can police a girl’s body, her movement, her choices,” he said, adding, “When control is mistaken for culture, and such attitudes are normalised by Andhbhakts, mobs start believing they are the law.”

It was informed by Rakesh Kumar, the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of the Munger Police Range, that three individuals have been taken into custody thus far and that other suspects are being investigated. Police went to the victims’ houses on Monday and secretly taped their comments.

An FIR has subsequently been filed in accordance with the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act, according to Jamui SDPO IPS Deepti Monali earlier in the day. The males engaged in the incident have been identified by police based on the camera footage. At least six or seven young people were involved, according to preliminary findings. “To make arrests, special teams have started conducting raids at suspicious locations.”