Moral policing can be done in decent, elegant fashion: Bihar Minister's shocker

Bihar minister Shreyasi Singh drew criticism after saying moral policing could be done more decently while condemning the harassment of a boy and a girl in Jamui.Bihar Minister and BJP MLA from Jamui, Shreyasi Singh, speaks to India Today TV on the minors' harassment case.Bihar Minister and Jamui MLA Shreyasi Singh on Monday raised eyebrows while commenting on the molestation and assault of a boy and a girl in her constituency. “Moral policing can be done in a more decent and elegant fashion,” Singh said while speaking to India Today TV as she condemned the incident that has made national headlines.“Moral policing can be done in a more decent and elegant fashion. But the way they mishandled and mistreated the boy and girl together is absolutely not tolerable,” the 35-year-old BJP leader and former sports shooter said.Her remarks came after a viral video surfaced on Monday showing the boy and the girl being confronted and harassed by a group of people on a roadside in Jamui a few days ago, triggering nationwide outrage.Asked to clarify her remarks, Singh said people could have an opinion about how others chose to live their lives, but there were better ways to express such views. “You can have an opinion about how somebody chooses to live their life and what they want to do with it. Maybe there is a better way to do it. But the way they have treated them is absolutely not tolerable. The videos that have come are shocking,” she said.Singh said she could not understand how members of the local community could treat the minors in such a manner. “How can you treat a boy and a girl of the society that you are living in? They must have known that this boy and girl are kids from Jammu. I can't fathom the fact that they were treated this badly by the people of the community living there,” she said.The minister also said she would ensure that those responsible could not escape accountability.“To help curb this (incident), I am going to ensure from my side that there is absolutely no loophole for them to get out. This incident needs to set a precedent for the future,” she said.OPPOSITION HITS OUT AT SHREYASI SINGHJanshakti Janta Dal chief Tej Pratap Yadav attacked the Samrat Choudhary government over the Jamui incident, saying even he felt unsafe while stepping out.“Even I feel unsafe when I go out. No woman is safe in Bihar. And yet they keep claiming that our women are safe. How are they safe? Some incident or the other keeps happening,” Yadav, the elder son of RJD chief Lalu Yadav, told ANI.He said the incident involving the boy and girl was a matter of their personal choice. “A boy and girl went out. It is a personal matter. They can go anywhere they want,” he said.Congress leader Pawan Khera hit out at Singh in a post on X, questioning her remarks on “decent and elegant moral policing”.“This is quite something... “So, what is next? ‘Rapes are fine as long as they are 'decent and elegant'– and not violent?’” Khera said, sharing a snippet of Singh making the remarks.“Intrusion – verbal, physical, emotional, psychological or spiritual – does not become acceptable simply because it is done ‘decently’ or ‘elegantly’,” he said.Congress leader Supriya Shrinate also criticised Singh's remarks, saying she was “stunned and speechless”.The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) also targeted Singh, accusing the Jamui MLA of defending “moral policing” after the viral video involving the two minors surfaced.“A woman MLA is actually justifying what goons did to a minor... What kind of political training does the BJP give its leaders that they go to any length to protect their government and shamelessly defend such acts?” the party tweeted.“At the national level, BJP leaders defend rapists, while at the state level, their leaders openly defend those accused of molesting minors,” it further said.- EndsPublished By: Prateek ChakrabortyPublished On: Sep 22, 2026 14:43 IST