The action comes two months after reports of 34 girls being raped over a period of time in a state-funded shelter home in Muzaffarpur shocked the country
The Bihar government suspended 14 officials on Sunday for not acting on reports of sexual exploitation in shelter and observation homes, on a day Chief Minister Nitish Kumar warned of action against even those trying to shield the culprits. He, however, said the Opposition and media were focussing "too much on just one negative incident."
The action comes two months after reports of 34 girls being raped over a period of time in a state-funded shelter home in Muzaffarpur shocked the country.
The 14 officials of the Social Welfare Department in various districts will now face departmental action. Instances of physical, mental and sexual assault in Muzaffarpur's "Balika Grih" run by NGO Seva Sankalp Evam Vikas Samiti were reported by Mumbai-based Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) in June.
TISS also reported similar cases from other districts as well, brining Opposition parties together against the JD(U)-BJP governante in Bihar. Kumar broke his silence on Friday and said he felt ashamed and a sense of guilt, asserting the CBI's probe should be monitored by the Patna High Court.
The suspension order says the 14 officials did not take action despite being told to do so, at a state-level meeting in May, putting the government in "an uncomfortable situation".
The districts from where the officials have been suspended include Bhojpur, Bhagalpur, Madhubani, Muzaffarpur, Munger, Gaya, Araria, Patna and East Champaran.
One of the officials, Divesh Kumar Sharma, is the one who had filed a complaint in two cases, including the one in Muzaffarpur.
The Opposition said the action was "too late and too little". "These are the junior officers who are simply being made scapegoats to save senior officers and politicians," an RJD leader said.
Kumar asked the Opposition and media on Sunday to look at "positives" as well. "You are focussing too much on just one negative incident. No guilty will be spared. Even those who try to protect them will go to jail."
On Saturday, RJD held a day-long dharna followed by a candle march at Jantar Mantar in Delhi where Congress president Rahul Gandhi asked Kumar to take action if he was really ashamed.
The owner of Muzaffarpur's girls' shelter, Brajesh Thakur, is said to have political connections. Yadav asked Kumar to explain who he was trying to protect.
On Thursday, the Supreme Court banned the media from using photographs of the survivors. The court also issued notices to the Centre and the Bihar government.
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