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Bihar police arrested the main accused Nandan Yadav and another suspect Hare Ram Yadav following an encounter on September 22 during which both sustained injuries Additional Director General of Police K S Anupam said. Yadav was shot in the leg after he allegedly fired at officers while fleeing and is now in hospital under custody. All seven individuals identified in the case have been taken into custody with three arrested the previous day according to multiple reports from The Hindu and India Today. A special investigation team headed by Sub-Divisional Police Officer Deepti Monali continues to probe the matter.
The assault occurred on September 19 when two Class 10 students a girl and a boy were returning from a hill station near the Jamui-Lakhisarai road after attending coaching classes Jamui Superintendent of Police Vishwajit Dayal stated. The group of men stopped their scooter abused them and forced them to dismount before slapping the boy and molesting the girl as the pair pleaded to be released. One perpetrator grabbed and carried the girl while touching her inappropriately in footage captured by the assailants themselves. The victims who are both minors had gone to the scenic spot to take photographs and did not immediately report the incident to authorities.
A video of the September 19 attack went viral on social media on September 21 prompting police to register a suo motu FIR under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act and relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita including those on assault with intent to outrage modesty. Officers traced the teenagers using a vehicle registration number visible in the clips and identified around seven perpetrators from the footage India Today reported. Police have also initiated action against more than 100 social media accounts for circulating the video that revealed the victims’ identities in violation of privacy norms.
Opposition figures including Congress leader Rahul Gandhi condemned the event as evidence of entrenched patriarchy. “Who gave these men the right to behave like this? This is not ‘culture.’ It is patriarchy: the belief that any man can police a girl’s body her movement her choices” Gandhi posted on social media. Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary announced that strict action would be taken and confirmed the case was registered under POCSO. The National Commission for Women directed the state to provide support to the teenagers and take steps to stop further circulation of the video.
National Crime Records Bureau data places the number of crimes against women in Bihar at 27 359 for 2024 the sixth highest total nationally and a 97 percent increase from a decade earlier. The state also records the highest rate of spousal violence in the country at 36.1 percent among ever-married women according to the NFHS-6 survey released by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. A state women’s helpline received more than 69 000 complaints of crimes against women during the 2025-26 fiscal year with domestic violence and cyber harassment among the leading categories the Women and Child Development Corporation figures show.
The teenagers told investigators they study at the same coaching institute and that their families were aware of their friendship yet the assailants continued the harassment police officials noted. Three of the initial arrestees are also minors according to authorities. The incident has renewed debate over women’s safety in Bihar where similar cases of moral policing have surfaced in recent years.
