Muzaffarpur shelter home scandal: Bihar Minister Manju Verma resigns

Patna: Soon after meeting Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Bihar Social Welfare Minister Manju Verma on Wednesday submitted her resignation. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders were demanding the minister's resignation, alleging her involvement in the sex scandal case.

Manju Verma's husband has been accused of having links with alleged mastermind Brajesh Thakur in the Muzaffarpur shelter home sex scandal case. Her husband, Chandrasekhar Verma, has been accused of visiting the Muzaffarpur shelter home frequently.

The alleged sex scandal in Muzaffarpur surfaced in a social audit conducted by Mumbai-based Tata Institute of Social Sciences. More than 40 girls had been lodged at the shelter home and medical reports suggest that over half of them may have had sexual intercourse at some point of time.

An FIR was lodged by the state social welfare department in June, which led to the arrest of 10 people. The NGO running the shelter home has been blacklisted and all the girls have been moved to shelter homes in other districts while the premises has been sealed.