With ‘Bhakshak’ trending everywhere, people are being jolted out of their comfort zone and forced to think why girls are not safe even in shelter homes, and what creates that audacity in some men that they begin to think that no law can ever touch them. ‘Bhakshak’ is a recently released film based on an infamous sexual exploitation case of girls in a shelter home in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur. Even though the original name and places have been changed in the film streaming on Netflix, yet, it is not difficult to figure out that the storyline is based on the Muzaffarpur shelter home case.
The movie shows a journalist’s journey of uncovering the truth about the shelter home and how she seeks help from the SSP of the district to get the accused arrested.
Indian Masterminds reached out to the real life SSP of Muzaffarpur who had handled the investigation and had arrested all the accused within 48 hours. She is IPS officer Ms. Harpreet Kaur, who is currently serving as DIG, Special Branch in Police Headquarter in Patna.
NOT SEEN THE FILM
Ms. Kaur, who has not seen the film, said, “I have only seen some clips. While the character of the journalist is fictional, but the story looks close to the real case. I am looking forward to watching it soon.”
She also mentioned that all the information related to the case is in public domain, and no one came to her for any insights. “I was not aware that any film was being made on the case before the release. I am glad that somebody picked up the subject and made the film because it is much needed to increase awareness about what all is happening in your surroundings.”
THE CASE
It was in 2018 when an audit by the Tata Institute of Social Science, Mumbai, highlighted the repeated sexual abuse of girls and women staying in the shelter home in Muzaffarpur. The case drew nationwide attention and Mr. Nitish Kumar, who was the CM then also, was criticised heavily for the shelter home horror.
A Brajesh Thakur was the chief of the NGO that ran the shelter home and was the prime accused in the case. It was largely because of Ms. Kaur (she was then the SSP of Muzaffarpur) that the main culprit along with 10 other accused could be put behind bars within 48 hours. Later, the case was transferred to CBI, but unlike in other cases, the police received much appreciation for their work.
Ms. Kaur said that an FIR was lodged on the basis of TISS (Tata Institute of Social Sciences) report, by the Chairperson of Child Protection Committee under the Social Welfare Department. Acting upon the FIR, she and her team investigated the case, collected the forensic samples, and recorded the statements of victims. It was her leadership that ensured smooth investigation and collection of evidence, and even the national agency appreciated it.
She further informed that the accused was also an owner of a newspaper and very influential due to his political ties. Hence, it was very difficult to nab him. When the expose happened, only one sub-inspector was there to handle the case, and getting the medical examination of the victims done to nabbing the accused was proving to be difficult.
“So, we made a team with maximum number of female police officials. We worked non-stop for more than 48 hours and were able to do the primary investigation and arrest the 11 accused. The CBI was impressed with our work. Today, I consider that case a great learning experience,’’ Ms. Kaur said.
FREE HAND
Although all the accused were very powerful and with good connections, and it wasn’t an easy task to nab them, this did not deter Ms. Kaur. After the FIR was filed, her team focused on investigating and when enough evidences were collected, they arrested them in no time. About the pressure on her, she said, “This case was made headlines across the country. We had all the support from the government. I was given a free hand to arrest. As the SSP, my only responsibility was to ensure serious and quality investigation.”
All her efforts paid off and the case was fast-tracked. Also, all the accused were convicted and sentenced.
MORE ABOUT THE OFFICER
Ms. Kaur completed her school education in Punjabi medium. After 10th, she went to Mohali and enrolled for commerce. She completed her graduation from Chandigarh. While doing graduation, one of her uncles suggested that she should go for CA (Chartered Accountancy). So, she followed his advice enrolled herself in that course.
Enough though her childhood dream was to become an IPS officer, she cleared CA as planned. But, after becoming a certified CA, she started focussing on UPSC preparation. She cleared the exam in 2009 and joined IPS. In her career, she has served as SP in many districts in Bihar, including Gaya, Samastipur and Jehanbad. She has also served as the Commandant of BMP-05 (Bihar Military Police) in Patna.
