Third video of a girl being assaulted surfaces in Bihar within a week

A third video showing the harassment of a girl in Bihar has surfaced within a week, prompting a police investigation in Banka district.

The video, which came to the police’s notice on September 22, purportedly shows a group of youths behaving indecently with a girl and assaulting her at the historic Mandar Hill tourist site. Two of the girl’s friends can also be seen being grabbed by their T-shirt collars. One of the suspects appears to be holding a slipper and another a stick.

An officer said the incident shown in the video reportedly took place on June 3, before the cases in Jamui and Samastipur, but came to light only now.

According to the FIR registered by Bounsi police station SHO Pankaj Kumar Jha, police received the video through WhatsApp from the social media cell at around 2.45 pm on September 22. Jha reached Mandar Hill with a police team around 3 pm to verify the footage and establish the location. Local shopkeepers were also questioned.

The FIR states that six to seven unidentified persons were seen engaging in “obscene behaviour and obscene acts” with the girl. A case was registered under Sections 74, 75, 76 and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Sections 66E and 67A of the Information Technology Act.

Police said the girl had visited Mandar Hill with two friends, and three suspects had been identified. They caught her hand, behaved indecently, abused her, and threatened her. One accused forced one of her friends to transfer Rs 1,500 online before allowing the group to leave.

Police were conducting raids to arrest the three accused.

The development follows similar cases in Samastipur and Jamui, where videos of harassment of girls surfaced online. Four accused were arrested in Samastipur, while three juveniles were apprehended and two adults were arrested in the Jamui case.

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav shared a blurred and muted version of the Banka video on X and alleged that it showed the “exploitation, indecent behaviour and assault” of a minor girl. He also questioned the Bihar government’s handling of the recent cases.