RJD to take Muzaffarpur fight to Delhi streets, Tejashwi Yadav to lead dharna at Jantar Mantar on August 4

RJD will hold a massive dharna at the Jantar Mantar on Saturday, August 4.

PATNA: Bihar's main opposition party RJD on Thursday warned that it will stage a massive 'dharna' at the national capital later this week in protest against the Muzaffarpur shelter home rape case.

The warning came from RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav who said that his party and cadres will stage a massive demonstration in protest against the "heinous institutional mass rape in Muzaffarpur".

The warning from RJD came on a day when the state observed a shutdown called by the Left parties over the issue.

At least 600 persons were rounded up across Bihar during the day-long bandh called by the Left organisations to protest against Muzaffarpur shelter home sex scandal and alleged atrocities against Dalits. 

Speaking on the issue, Tejashwi urged "all to attend" the dharna at the Jantar Mantar on Saturday, August 4.

"Against heinous institutional mass rape in Muzaffarpur sponsored and protected by Nitish government, we will stage a dharna on Saturday, August 4 at Jantar Mantar. Request all to attend", the RJD heir apparent tweeted.

Against heinous Institutional mass rape in Muzaffarpur sponsored & protected by Nitish government, we will stage a Dharna on Saturday, 4th August at Jantar-Mantar.

Request all to attend. — Tejashwi Yadav (@yadavtejashwi) August 2, 2018

Tejashwi, who is the leader of the Opposition in the state assembly, has been vociferously attacking the Nitish Kumar government over the Muzaffarpur shelter home scandal involving sexual abuse of more than 30 girls.

Although it is not clear which other parties would extend their support to the proposed RJD dharna, sources said that Congress may extend its support to the party.

Tejashwi, the son of veteran Bihar politician Lalu Prasad Yadav, shares a good rapport with Congress president Rahul Gandhi and likely to win his backing over the issue.

Supported by other opposition parties like the RJD and the Congress, the Bihar bandh resulted in disruption of rail and road traffic in several districts.

Smaller parties like Hindustani Awam Morcha, Loktantrik Janta Dal (floated by former JD(U) president Sharad Yadav) and NCP also lent support to the bandh, seen by political observers as coming together of non-NDA parties ahead of the 2019 general elections.

According to a release issued by state police headquarters, a total of 598 persons were arrested across the state. Notably, arrests were reported from only four districts.

The maximum number of arrests took place in Saran (328), followed by Madhubani (210), Nawada (35) and Katihar (25).

CPI(ML) state secretary Kunal, in a statement, thanked the people of Bihar for what he termed "success" of the dawn-to-dusk shutdown.

He also demanded the resignation of Union Minister for Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi over the issue of "disappearance" of 11 women from a "Sva Adhar Grih" (home for self-dependent women) at Muzaffarpur, which was run by the same NGO that controlled the shelter home for girls.

He said "Sva Adhar Grih" was set up as part of a central scheme and the alleged disappearance of inmates was because of "ineffective laws and poor monitoring".

He also welcomed the Supreme Court's Suo Motu cognizance of the shelter home sex scandal and demanded the resignation of state minister Suresh Sharma, who is also the local MLA. 

Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi, however, criticised the bandh and tweeted, "the opposition has fallen short of issues. Those who spent their energies in disrupting rail and road traffic and causing trouble to the common people could have done better to assist the CBI in collecting evidence".

मुजफ्फरपुर बालिका गृह के मामले की जांच सीबीआई को सौंपने के बाद समाज कल्याण विभाग उन्हें सारे दस्तवेज सौंप रहा है। विपक्ष मुद्दाविहीन हो गया है। जिन लोगों ने बंद कराने और रेल-सड़क यातायात बाधित कर जनता की मुसीबत बढ़ाने..... pic.twitter.com/CDMvphehNM — Sushil Kumar Modi (@SushilModi) August 2, 2018

The bandh was marked by clashes between protesters and police in Patna and Muzaffarpur and disruption of movement of trains in West Champaran, Sheikhpura, Darbhanga and Jehanabad.

Road traffic was affected on national highways passing through Khagaria, Kishanganj, Vaishali and Begusarai.

The alleged sexual exploitation of more than 30 girls at the shelter home first came to light in an audit report submitted by the Tata Institute of Social Science (TISS) to the state's social welfare department in April.

An FIR was lodged against 11 people, including Thakur on May 31. 

The probe has now been taken over by the CBI and the NGO running the shelter home has since been blacklisted and the girls have been shifted to other shelter homes in Patna and Madhubani.

(With PTI inputs)