Bihar Minister Shreyasi Singh Says Moral Policing Remarks Taken Out of Context Amid Jamui Row

Bihar's Industries and Sports Minister, Shreyasi Singh, has said that her remarks on moral policing, made in the context of the Jamui incident, were selectively presented and taken out of context. The minister, who is also the local MLA, addressed the controversy on Tuesday after a clip from a television interview circulated widely on social media.

In the viral excerpt, Singh was heard saying that moral policing could be carried out in a more decent and elegant fashion, while stressing that the manner in which the boy and girl were mishandled and mistreated was absolutely intolerable. She also appeared to suggest that while people may hold opinions about how others choose to live, there could be a better way of doing things, but the treatment meted out was unacceptable.

Responding to the backlash, Singh said the clip was part of a longer interview conducted while she was in the middle of an official meeting. She argued that the questions asked, the sequence of the discussion and her repeated assertion that such incidents would not be tolerated clearly conveyed her position. She urged that the interview be understood in its entirety rather than through isolated statements.

The remarks drew a sharp reaction from Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav, who shared a clip of the interview on X. The RJD leader said Singh appeared to be suggesting that moral policing should have been carried out in a respectful manner, and questioned whether NDA ministers now wanted harassment, sexual assault, drug trafficking, murder and rape under the guise of moral policing to be carried out respectfully and in a supposedly sattvik way. He added that Singh should give tuition on moral policing.

Singh said that while others were focusing on public statements, she and Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary were in communication with the district administration and monitoring the situation. She stated that the priority was, and remains, justice, accountability and the safety of the people.

The controversy comes amid outrage over an incident in Jamui in which two school-going teenagers, returning from tuition classes, were allegedly surrounded by a group of men. The boy was assaulted and the girl molested. Police registered a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

On Tuesday, the main accused, Nandan Yadav, who had allegedly been absconding, sustained a gunshot wound to his leg during an encounter with police, Munger DIG Rakesh Kumar confirmed. A second accused also suffered a leg injury. Both men, locals aged 25, were admitted to Sadar Hospital. Police said the two opened fire when a team approached them in an area covered by bushes, and police retaliated. Nandan works as a tractor driver, according to police.

Three juveniles had earlier been apprehended, while raids were under way to arrest the remaining accused. Police have also been working to remove videos of the Jamui incident from social media platforms, saying circulation of such material involving minors is an offence.

Singh is not the only NDA leader to face scrutiny over comments on the Jamui issue. Earlier on Monday, senior JD(U) leader and party state president Umesh Kushwaha described the case as an isolated and minor incident. He said the government was sensitive whenever such incidents occur, and referred to the period before 2005, asking what kind of Bihar it was then and whether people could even step out of their homes. Kushwaha later said his remarks had been distorted and misrepresented, and urged that his entire statement be heard rather than conclusions being drawn from a single portion.