PATNA: Bihar chief minister and JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar on Monday said his government would not hesitate to take action against social welfare minister Kumari Manju Verma or anyone related to her, if found involved in the Muzaffarpur shelter home rape case.

BJP leader and deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi , however, came out in support of Verma, whose husband Chandeshwar Verma is accused of often visiting the home. “BJP is fully in support of Manju Verma. No charges against her. Those who have been chargesheeted and summoned by CBI court in railways tender scam, whose two dozen benami properties have been attached by ED and I-T are lecturing us on morality,” Modi tweeted while referring to RJD and Lalu Prasad for levelling allegations against Verma.

A section in BJP pressed for Manju’s resignation, though. After BJP Rajya Sabha member Dr CP Thakur, his party colleague Gopal Narayan Singh also told reporters on Monday: “She (Manju) should have resigned for an impartial investigation as their names (Manju and Chandeshwar) have propped up during investigation.”

Opposition parties demanded her resignation over the alleged involvement of her husband in the case and delay on her department’s part in lodging an FIR after receiving the Tata Institute of Social Sciences report, which indicated sexual and physical abuse of minor girls run by NGO Sewa Sankalp Evam Vikas Samiti.

The JD(U) MLA from Cheria Bariarpur in Begusarai district , Manju Verma has been at the centre a political storm after it was alleged that Chandeshwar frequently visited the home’s upper floor (where the girls were forcefully locked) while asking accompanying officers to stay on the ground floor.

“We had called Manju Verma and she denied her role in the case. CBI is probing the case. If someone related to the minister is found involved in the case, he/she will not be spared. Even the minister, if found involved, will not be spared,” Nitish told reporters after his weekly ‘Lok Samvad’ programme. “Let the investigating agency do its job. Is it justified to level baseless allegations against any person?” Nitish asked.

Nitish also said from now the state government would itself run all shelter homes. Admitting that the Muzaffarpur incident happened due to “flaw in the system”, Nitish declared henceforth no NGO would be allowed to run any shelter home in Bihar.

“During the review, it was found that the wrongdoings were committed by the NGO. There are some flaws in the system. We have asked the officers to check those flaws. Now, only government employees will be involved in running shelter homes for having a better control,” Nitish added.

