Bihar: Auto driver arrested for molesting student in Bhojpur

Patna: Bihar Police on Saturday arrested an auto-rickshaw driver accused of molesting a college student in Bhojpur district. The incident occurred between Mahuli and Balua villages under the jurisdiction of Mufassil police station.

Police identified the accused as Vijay Kumar, alias Chaurasia or Masto, a resident of Bakharia village. According to the complaint, the undergraduate student was returning home by auto-rickshaw after attending classes at Dhobaha Market when the driver allegedly molested her.

Police said the student managed to jump off the moving vehicle to save herself, sustaining head injuries in the process. She reached home and informed her family, after which police registered a named FIR under relevant sections of the BNS Act.

Investigators arrested Vijay Kumar and seized his vehicle. Police are examining the circumstances and taking further legal action based on the complaint and available evidence.

The Bhojpur case comes amid a spate of incidents involving harassment and molestation of girls and women reported from different parts of Bihar.

Earlier, on September 19, a Class 10 student was allegedly harassed and molested in Jamui, while a male student accompanying her was assaulted. The accused circulated a video of the incident on social media.

Three videos purportedly showing similar incidents later surfaced from Samastipur, while separate cases were reported from Kishanganj and Banka districts. Police have arrested several accused in these cases, with investigations continuing in others.

The incidents have triggered renewed public debate about the safety of women and girls and the law-and-order situation in the state.

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