- A viral video depicted a woman harassed at Mandar Hill, Banka.
- Police filed FIR against six unidentified youths, verifying location.
- Efforts are ongoing to identify culprits and the woman involved.
- This follows recent similar video harassment cases across Bihar.
Another alleged harassment incident has come to light in Bihar after a video purportedly showing a young woman being subjected to indecent behaviour and assaulted at the Mandar Hill tourist site in Banka went viral on social media. Police have registered an FIR against six unidentified youths in connection with the video.
The footage, dated September 3, allegedly shows several youths behaving indecently with the woman and hitting her with a slipper. Police came across the video on September 22 through their social media cell and subsequently launched an investigation.
The incident comes days after similar videos from Jamui and Samastipur triggered police action and outrage in Bihar.
Police Verify Mandar Hill Location
According to the FIR, the video was received at around 2:45 pm on September 22 on the WhatsApp number of Bounsi Station House Officer (SHO) Pankaj Kumar Jha.
Acting on directions from senior officials, Jha and a police team reached Mandar Hill at around 3 pm and checked the location shown in the footage. The investigation subsequently confirmed that the video had been filmed at the tourist site.
The FIR states that six unidentified youths were allegedly involved in “indecent behaviour and obscene acts” with the woman. It also records that the incident was filmed and subsequently circulated on social media.
Police have since begun efforts to identify the youths as well as the woman seen in the video.
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Six Youths Booked, Video Key Evidence
As part of the investigation, police questioned villagers living around Mandar Hill and local shopkeepers.
Police said shopkeepers indicated that the youths appearing in the footage seemed to be young men, but none could be clearly identified when the FIR was registered.
SHO Pankaj Kumar Jha subsequently lodged the FIR on the basis of his own statement against six unidentified youths. Police have included the viral video as a key piece of evidence and are examining the faces visible in the footage along with other available evidence to identify those involved.
The case has been registered under Sections 74, 75, 76 and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with Sections 66E and 67A of the Information Technology Act, 2000.
Police said further legal action will follow once the accused are identified.
Mandar Hill Case Amid Jamui, Samastipur Incidents
The incident at Mandar Hill comes amid public outrage over two other alleged harassment incidents in Bihar involving viral videos.
In Samastipur, a video surfaced on social media purportedly showing alleged indecent behaviour with a young girl near an embankment road in Jagat Singhpur village under Karpuri Gram Police Station. The authenticity of the footage has not been independently verified, but police arrested four suspects after the video was widely circulated.
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Days earlier, a purported video from Jamui showed the alleged harassment and assault of two minor girls, triggering public outrage and political reactions.
Police in the Jamui case also took action against social media accounts circulating the footage. An FIR was reportedly registered against around 120 profiles for sharing videos that could reveal the identity of the minor victims.
Jamui Police arrested Kundan Kumar, Faiyaz and Ramashish Kumar and appealed to people not to circulate offensive or revealing videos or posts involving minor victims on social media.
The latest case from Mandar Hill has also raised questions over security arrangements at the prominent tourist destination, with police continuing efforts to identify the six youths seen in the video.
(With inputs from ANI)
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