New Delhi: The CBI is set question Brajesh Thakur, the prime accused in the alleged abuse of minor girls at a state-funded shelter home in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur district. The agency, sources said, will soon seek his custody from the competent court for questioning in connection with the case.
The Central investigating agency has demanded detailed medical report of Brajesh Thakur, the key accused in the case, from Muzaffarpur jail’s doctor. Thakur was arrested on June 2 by the Bihar police in the case, and has been resting at a hospital ward inside the Muzaffarpur jail.
An FIR was registered against him on May 31. He is in the judicial custody. as the POCSO court reportedly denied to grant his custody to the police.
On August 8, the CBI froze the bank accounts of Thakur for further investigation into the matter. Sources further said, “The agency will soon call more than ten senior officials of the Social Welfare Department for questioning in connection with the case”. The state government recently took departmental action against more than a dozen officials of the Social Welfare Department, who have been put under suspension for alleged negligence and dereliction of duty. The suspended officials include seven assistant directors of Child Protection Units, six district child protection officers and superintendent of a remand home for juvenile prisoners.
The Muzaffarpur district child protection officer was named as one of the accused in the shelter home scandal and arrested last month, sources said adding that he will also be called for interrogation. The suspension orders by the concerned departments pointed out that the Mumbai-based Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) had pointed out these anomalies, which the officials “did not bring to the notice of higher officials in inspection reports, they added. The agency sleuths recently met principal secretary, social welfare department of Bihar government, and sought certain files pertaining to the shelter home run by the NGO owned by the jailed Brajesh Thakur.
