Women harassed in short stay home in Bihar

Close on the heels of the Muzaffarpur shelter home rape scandal rocking the state, another case of alleged sexual harassment of women at a short stay home here has come to light with the police today saying it has arrested the main accused, a Vaishali district administration official.

District project manager Manmohan Kumar Singh, who was entrusted with the supervision of the short stay home, was arrested late last night, town police station inspector Om Prakash said.

The police is searching for four co-accused in the case, which includes two women -- Priyanka and Karuna Kumar, in-charge and assistant, respectively, of a women's helpline -- who have been accused of abetting the crime, the inspector said.

Singh was arrested after an FIR was lodged as per directions of district magistrate Rajiv Raushan.

The district magistrate said a complaint was received from inmates of the short stay home on July 19 in which they had accused Singh of harassment and the others of abetment.

The district magistrate had set up an inquiry committee, which submitted its report two days ago and the FIR was lodged subsequently.

A major scandal broke out recently in the state after it came to light that 34 girls were raped over a period of time at a government-funded shelter home run by an NGO in Muzaffarpur.

While the case is now being probed by the CBI, the opposition parties have slammed the Nitish Kumar government on the issue and his social welfare minister Manju Verma had to resign following allegations that her husband was in regular contact with the main accused Brajesh Thakur.