Bihar gives jobs to five of six gang rape victims

Patna: The Bihar government has given employment to five of the six women who said they were gang raped at gun-point by three men in the state's Bhojpur district, officials said Sunday.

"We have handed over appointment letters to the women," district magistrate Pankaj Kumar Pal said.

"It is a part of the state government's initiative to help them in view of Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi's order to provide them safety, security and better livelihood," Pal said.

Pal told IANS that they would work as cooks to prepare mid-day meals for school children. "All of them would be posted at different schools in their village or in the panchayat to facilitate easy access to their family."

Six women were allegedly gang-raped Wednesday in the district's Kurmuri village. All the three main accused in the case were arrested.

Pal said one of the victims, a minor, was admitted to a residential school for her rehabilitation and she would receive financial assistance for her livelihood.

Meanwhile, Bhojpur Superintendent of Police Rajesh Kumar said an investigation into the incident has been completed and police have filed a charge sheet Saturday.

"The probe has found three arrested men, including main accused Neel Nidhi Singh, guilty of the crime. Singh is a former commander of Ranveer Sena, private militia of landed upper castes," he said.

Speedy trial against the accused would begin Monday, Rajesh Kumar said, adding that a medical examination has confirmed that the women were raped by a gang.