A minor Dalit girl from Muzaffarpur, Bihar, was brutally raped on May 26, leading to her death. The attacker also tried to strangle her, causing severe injuries. She was first taken to a local hospital but was referred to Patna for better treatment. Shockingly, she had to wait for over five hours in an ambulance before getting care. She died a day later due to her injuries.
The victim’s uncle, Virendra Paswan, alleged that they were made to wait for two hours in the hospital and then again for five hours after registration but the hospital did not admit her. Paswan claimed that if she had been admitted to the hospital on time, she could have been saved. The family arrived at the hospital around 11 am and finally got admitted at 3 pm.
The hospital administration denied the claims and stated that after the girl was taken for treatment, the entire team of specialists was with the child throughout the night.
PMCH superintendent, Dr. Abhijit Singh, told ANI that the medical team at the hospital actively attended to her in the ambulance and throughout the night. He also said that since the victim’s neck was strangled and broken, she had to be attended to first by an ENT.
The family accused the Police of refusing to register a case, alleging that the perpetrator is an influential person from the same village. Instead, the police at the Turki police station registered the accused’s family’s complaint against the victim’s family at the same police station. The girl’s family then went to the women’s police station in Muzaffarpur, finally able to register a complaint. Afterwards, the victim was sent for a medical examination. The police later arrested the accused, according to the PTI.
Congress State President Rajesh Ram accused the Government of negligence and protested, demanding justice for the child and the child’s family.
“It is a heart-wrenching incident and an insult to our state, headed by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar,” he said, alleging that the state’s law and order and health system had collapsed, and that the incident has exposed the insensitivity of the Government, the CM, and the PMCH.
“This is not politics for us. If justice is not served, you will have to face a struggle in the coming days,” he told the media during the protests.
Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi shared his outrage on his X handle.
“The brutality against a minor Dalit girl in Muzaffarpur and the 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 also in saving her life,” he said.
“We will not sit quietly until the victim’s family gets justice. Strict action should be taken against the culprits and negligent officers,” he further added.
Congress workers took to the streets to protest, blocking roads and demanding that Health Minister Mangal Pandey resign.
