{"id":2227,"date":"2026-09-26T08:31:54","date_gmt":"2026-09-26T08:31:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/2026\/09\/26\/bihar-cm-backlash-victim-photo-reels\/"},"modified":"2026-09-26T08:31:54","modified_gmt":"2026-09-26T08:31:54","slug":"bihar-cm-backlash-victim-photo-reels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/2026\/09\/26\/bihar-cm-backlash-victim-photo-reels\/","title":{"rendered":"Bihar CM faces backlash after posting victim\u2019s photo and commenting on crime reels"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<!-- Quick Adsense WordPress Plugin: http:\/\/quickadsense.com\/ -->\n<div class=\"9fece8afa224fd09e54b043d0febfb58\" data-index=\"1\" style=\"float: none; margin:10px 0 10px 0; text-align:center;\">\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- NR ATF -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-8898941184964366\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"4839033563\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n<p>On Thursday, September 24, 2026, the official X account of Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary posted a photograph that identified a minor girl who had been molested in Jamui earlier that week, along with images of her parents as they approached the chief minister\u2019s official residence in Patna. Within fifteen minutes the post was removed after the CM\u2019s office recognized the breach, but the image had already been captured, shared and downloaded by members of the opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).<\/p>\n<h2>Photo of victim posted and quickly deleted<\/h2>\n<p>The Jamui incident occurred on September 19, 2026, when a minor was sexually assaulted. A video of the assault spread on social media on September 21, prompting public outrage. The main accused, Nandan Kumar Yadav, was later injured in a police encounter on September 22, the same day the chief minister addressed the matter at a programme organised by the digital media group First Bihar Jharkhand at the Chandragupta Institute of Management Patna.<\/p>\n<p>During that event, Mr. Choudhary said that the perpetrators might not have been apprehended if they had not recorded the crime on a reel. He argued that the prevalence of short\u2011form video content is influencing criminal behaviour, stating, \u201cIf they had not made the reel, would they have been caught?\u201d The chief minister added that he repeatedly warns criminals not to challenge the police, promising a response within 24 hours.<\/p>\n<h2>CM\u2019s comments on reels and criminal activity<\/h2>\n<p>Mr. Choudhary\u2019s remarks linked the rapid identification of the Jamui suspects to the existence of a video reel, suggesting that the modern habit of recording incidents can aid law enforcement. He criticised the trend of \u201cpeople losing their lives in the pursuit of making reels,\u201d and warned that criminals cannot become \u201cheroes of society\u201d by committing offences. The statements were made public during a session that celebrated \u201cReal Heroes\u201d of Bihar, where individuals were recognised for contributions to society.<\/p>\n<p>Ironically, the state had just approved an amendment to the Bihar Social Media and Other Online Media Rules, 2026, on August 19, 2026. The amendment introduced a payment scheme for content creators, offering \u20b910,000 for every 100,000 views after a 30\u2011day performance period, with a ceiling of \u20b9100,000 per video. The timing of the chief minister\u2019s comments, juxtaposed with the new incentive structure for influencers, amplified the controversy.<\/p>\n<h2>Political fallout and opposition criticism<\/h2>\n<p>Janata Dal (United) leader and minister Ashok Choudhary attempted to defend the government\u2019s response, asserting that criminal incidents are not unique to Bihar and occur even in developed nations such as the United States and Japan. He emphasised that no head of state can claim a crime\u2011free nation, but highlighted the swift action taken by the administration.<\/p>\n<p>Opposition leader Tejashwi Yadav, head of the RJD in the Bihar Legislative Assembly, seized upon both the photo leak and the chief minister\u2019s remarks. On X, he posted the blurred image that had been shared from the CM\u2019s account and wrote, \u201cThe foolish, inept, anti\u2011law Chief Minister of Bihar is himself tearing apart the provisions of the POCSO Act. He is exposing the victim\u2019s identity. The Chief Minister of Bihar should receive the harshest possible punishment for this crime; otherwise, who will respect the POCSO Act?\u201d He also criticised Ashok Choudhary\u2019s comparison of Bihar\u2019s crime situation with that of the United States and Japan.<\/p>\n<p>The opposition\u2019s accusations focus on two key points: the alleged violation of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act by revealing the victim\u2019s identity, and the perception that the chief minister\u2019s rhetoric encourages a punitive approach that may undermine legal safeguards for minors.<\/p>\n<p>Legal experts, while not quoted in the source, have previously warned that publishing any identifying information about a minor victim of sexual abuse can constitute a breach of the POCSO Act, which mandates strict confidentiality to protect the child\u2019s dignity. The rapid spread of the image on social media platforms, despite its removal, raises questions about the effectiveness of digital safeguards within government communication channels.<\/p>\n<p>In the days following the incident, the Bihar government has not issued a formal apology or clarification regarding the inadvertent disclosure. The opposition\u2019s continued pressure, amplified by social\u2011media amplification, suggests that the episode could become a focal point in upcoming political debates, especially as the state navigates the balance between encouraging digital content creation and protecting vulnerable individuals.<\/p>\n<p>Overall, the episode underscores the challenges faced by Indian state administrations in managing real\u2011time communication on social platforms, adhering to child\u2011protection legislation, and responding to evolving public expectations about transparency and accountability.<\/p>\n\n<div style=\"font-size: 0px; height: 0px; line-height: 0px; margin: 0; padding: 0; clear: both;\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Bihar chief minister\u2019s X post revealing a minor molestation victim\u2019s identity and his remarks linking criminal arrests to social\u2011media reels sparked criticism from opposition leaders and raised concerns over privacy and the state\u2019s recent influencer rules.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2228,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[299],"tags":[491,1937,564,2402,1440],"class_list":["post-2227","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-bihar","tag-pocso-act","tag-politics","tag-samrat-choudhary","tag-social-media","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2227","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2227"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2227\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2228"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2227"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2227"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2227"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}