Muzaffarpur shelter home scandal: CBI raids former minister Manju Verma's residences

The former Bihar Welfare Department Minister submitted her resignation on August 8 in connection with the Muzaffarpur shelter home sexual assault case.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday conducted a raid at the Patna and Begusarai residences of former Bihar Welfare Department Minister Manju Verma in connection with the Muzaffarpur shelter home sexual assault case.

Verma had submitted her resignation on August 8. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders had demanded the minister's resignation, alleging her involvement in the sex scandal case.

Her husband has been accused of having links with alleged mastermind Brajesh Thakur in the Muzaffarpur shelter home sex scandal case. Her husband, Chandrasekhar Verma, has been accused of visiting the Muzaffarpur shelter home frequently.

The alleged sex scandal in Muzaffarpur surfaced in a social audit conducted by Mumbai-based Tata Institute of Social Sciences. More than 40 girls had been lodged at the shelter home and medical reports suggest that over half of them may have had sexual intercourse at some point of time.

An FIR was lodged by the state social welfare department in June, which led to the arrest of 10 people. The NGO running the shelter home has been blacklisted and all the girls have been moved to shelter homes in other districts while the premises has been sealed.

Shortly after submitting her resignation from the post, Verma accused the media and the Opposition of creating a furore. "I resigned because media and opposition had created a furore," she had said.

Expressing confidence on the CBI and the Judiciary, she said, "I am sure truth will be out and my husband will come out clean."

The Bihar Minister defended her husband and said that the call records of prime accused Brajesh Thakur, in the Muzaffarpur shelter home sex scandal case, should be made public. "Call records of accused Brajesh Thakur should be made public, we will then see who all he used to talk to," Manju Verma added.

Bihar Education Minister Krishnanandan Prasad Verma was given the additional charge of the Social Welfare Department on August 9.