Bihar sanctions compensation, pension for family of Dalit minor rape victim

The Bihar government on Thursday (June 5, 2025) sanctioned compensation of ₹8.25 lakh under the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, to the family members of the 11-year-old Dalit girl who was raped and brutally assaulted with a knife, and later succumbed to her injuries at the Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) on June 1.

The State also announced a monthly pension of ₹7,700 for the victim’s family, in addition to the allotment of a house under the Mukhyamantri Awas Yojana.

According to officials, the girl, who was transferred from Muzaffarpur, had to wait in an ambulance for nearly five hours before being admitted to PMCH, as a bed was not allotted promptly.

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Muzaffarpur District Magistrate Subrat Kumar Sen made the announcement at a press briefing at the Muzaffarpur Collectorate. “There is a provision under the SC/ST Atrocities Act that if any murder of an SC/ST person takes place, then a compensation of ₹8.25 lakh is given. Based on the FIR and post-mortem report, we have given the first instalment of ₹4,12,500 to the mother of the girl,” Mr. Sen said.

The opposition, including the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Congress, Left parties, and the Vikasheel Insaan Party (VIP), has been consistently attacking the State government over the incident.

On Tuesday (June 3, 2025), the RJD’s women’s wing held a protest march against Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Health Minister Mangal Pandey in Patna, while Congress leaders staged a demonstration outside Mr. Pandey’s official residence.

Also Read | Double-engine government in Bihar failed to save a 11-year-old Dalit rape victim, says Congress

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi lent support to the protests, writing on X: “The brutality against a minor Dalit girl in Muzaffarpur and subsequent negligence in her treatment is extremely shameful. If she had received timely treatment, her life could have been saved. But the ‘double-engine’ government was negligent not only in providing security but in saving her life.”

Mr. Sen also announced additional welfare measures. “Apart from the pension, a house under Mukhyamantri Awas Yojana has been sanctioned for the family. I have instructed the Block Development Officer to ensure the house is built. In 2011-12, the family received a house under the Indira Awas Yojana but could not construct it. In this special case, we have taken the decision to provide ₹1.20 lakh for house construction and ₹12,000 for a toilet,” he said.

He added that the second instalment of ₹4,12,500 would be disbursed once the chargesheet is filed by the police.

According to the police, the minor was raped and found with around 20 knife wounds on and around her neck in a pit at a brick kiln in Muzaffarpur on May 26. The accused was arrested the same evening.

Union Minister and ruling party leader Chirag Paswan wrote to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday, calling the incident “a failure of the state’s law and order and public health infrastructure”, and demanded strict action against those responsible.

Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Bahujan Samaj Party president Mayawati also criticised the State government, describing the incident as evidence of Bihar’s poor law and health systems.

Amid mounting outrage, the State Health Department, on June 3, took disciplinary action against two senior medical officials of PMCH and Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH), Muzaffarpur, for dereliction of duty.

Published - June 05, 2025 07:38 pm IST