FIR on woman who named ex minister Manju Verma’s husband

Patna: Muzaffarpur police have lodged an FIR against Shibha Kumari, wife of arrested district child protection officer Ravi Kumar Raushan, for allegedly revealing the identity of the Balika Grih shelter home rape survivors and uploading the statements of some of the girls on social networking sites.

The complaint against Shibha under sections of the IPC and the Information and Technology Act has been lodged on the statement of a sub-inspector posted at the women’s police station in Muzaffarpur town, around 70km north of Patna. “The action against the suspended CPO’s wife has been taken on the directive of the state police headquarters. The police are frantically searching for her,” said Jyoti Kumari, the women’s police station house officer.

An investigating officer said under cover of anonymity that Shibha had also leaked important information to the media.

Shibha had alleged that her husband was being made a scapegoat to shield Rajesh Raushan, a close aide of Brajesh Thakur – the arrested proprietor of the NGO that ran the Balika Grih.

An FIR was lodged against the office bearers of Brajesh’s NGO, Seva Sankalp Evam Vikas Samtiti, by (now suspended) assistant director of Muzaffarpur child protection unit Devesh Kumar Sharma on May 31 this year after a Tata Institute of Social Sciences report flagged sexual abuse at the Balika Grih. Brajesh and nine others were arrested on June 2.

Medical examination of 42 of the 44 minor girls lodged at the Balika Grih confirmed that at least 34 of the girls had been raped. Ravi Kumar was arrested on June 24.

Shibha cried foul over her husband’s arrest, and was one of the first persons to demand a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe. Shibha had claimed that her husband had been pressuring for necessary renovations, replacement of CCTV cameras and other things essential for the security of the girls lodged at the Balika Grih.

She had also alleged that Chandeshwar Verma, the husband of former social welfare minister Kumari Manju Verma, frequented the Balika Grih. Manju initially said her husband had visited the Balika Grih only once and with her, but resigned as minister after it was revealed that Chandeshwar was in touch with Brajesh.

The CBI is probing the Balika Grih case.

Experts from the central forensic science laboratory collected evidences from the shelter home on Saturday. Earlier, experts from the state forensic science laboratory had collected evidences.

“We have provided all the relevant documents to the CBI,” said Jyoti, who was the investigating officer of the case before it was handed over to the CBI.

Courtesy: The Telegraph