Minister quits as hubby spoke to Thakur 17 times

Bihar’s Social Welfare Minister Manju Verma, on Wednesday, submitted her resignation to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar after the CBI investigating the Muzaffarpur shelter home rape case found that her husband was in regular touch with Brajesh Thakur, the main accused.

Two days back, Nitish had strongly defended Manju, but added that he “won’t spare her if she was found guilty”.

The call details record (CDR), being investigated by the CBI, shows that Thakur, currently languishing in Muzaffarpur’s Khudiram Bose Jail, talked to Manju Verma’s husband Chandeshwar Verma 17 times between January and May 2018. During the investigation, it has also come to light Brajesh met Chandeshwar multiple times and even travelled to New Delhi together.

The CBI team, which visited Muzaffarpur and interrogated Brajesh’s driver, was informed that the accused was in regular touch with the Minister’s husband.

“The investigating agency is now interrogating the travel company officials to find out who paid for the air tickets of the duo when they travelled to the national capital,” said the source aware of the developments.

Manju Verma is in the eye of the storm ever since Shibha Kumari, wife of Muzaffarpur Child Protection Officer (CPO) Ravi Roshan, alleged that the minister’s husband used to frequently visit the Balika Grih, the shelter home for girls, in Muzaffarpur. It was this shelter home where more than 40 girls were sexually abused. Ravi Roshan is one of the ten persons arrested so far.

Manju Verma had vehemently denied her husband’s role in Muzaffarpur incident and said she would hang her husband if he was found guilty. Nitish and his BJP colleague Sushil Modi too have defended the minister, reiterating that nobody should cast aspersions on her till the investigating agency pronounces her guilty.

After the CDR pointed out an accusing finger at Manju, the Minister admitted that Brajesh used to call her husband. “My department had given work to Brajesh (his NGO looked after the shelter home for girls). So he would make phone calls. But how could someone know that the person, who is making phone calls, is a criminal or has a criminal mindset?” she argued.