Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Screenwriter and lyricist Neeraj Pandey has written an open letter to BJP leader and folk singer Maithili Thakur following the outrage over the assault of two minors in Bihar’s Jamui. In a five-slide post shared on Instagram, Pandey responded to a statement attributed to Thakur about feeling safe in Bihar and said that her experience could not represent everyone from the state.
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“Dear Maithili Thakur, I read your statement after the unfortunate Jamui incident. ‘I am from Bihar. I am a daughter of Bihar, and I feel safe in Bihar.’ Good for you. Par sabka Bihar ek hi Bihar nahi hai,” Pandey wrote.
He went on to share his own experience of growing up in Bihar, saying that despite the privileges he had as a man, his personal boundaries had been violated several times.
“Not everyone who grew up there got to say that. I am from Bihar. And I never felt safe growing up there. With all my privileges of even being a man, my physical boundaries were invaded many times,” he wrote.
Pandey added that one person’s experience of safety cannot represent the reality of an entire state. “Your comfort doesn’t speak for everyone. The reality of any state or society should be asked from the people on the receiving end. I was on the receiving end,” he wrote.
He also urged people to listen to the survivors of the Jamui incident and pointed out that such an episode should not be viewed in isolation. “Ask the girl who faced the unfortunate incident. And mind you that Jamui is not just one stand-alone incident. Ask any girl I would say,” he wrote.
Reflecting on his own experiences, Pandey said that a person’s relationship with their homeland can also include painful memories. “Homeland is not always the land of fairy tales. It is also the place of trauma we carry in our lives. One day I’ll write down everything that happened. Maybe in a book. This is just the start,” he added.
Sharing the letter, Pandey wrote in the caption, “A home is supposed to be a safe space so does a homeland. I’ll write about it. . . . Bihar, Jamui Incident, Maithili Thakur, Political Leader, Society.”
Did Maithili Thakur make the viral statement after the Jamui incident?
A video circulating on social media has been presented as a recent statement by Maithili Thakur about women’s safety in Bihar. In the clip, Thakur can be heard saying that she is “a daughter of Bihar” and that people in the state are “very safe”.
However, fact-checks have found that the video is not from after the Jamui incident. Aaj Tak Fact Check traced the clip to April 2026, when Thakur was campaigning in West Bengal for the Assembly elections. The longer version of the video was uploaded by ANI on April 22, 2026.
The interaction took place after Thakur was asked about remarks by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee concerning the safety of women in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Thakur responded by defending the safety of women in Bihar and spoke about her own experience. The footage was therefore recorded months before the September 19 Jamui incident.
Thakur has, in fact, separately reacted to the Jamui incident. On September 22, she described what happened to the minor girl as “extremely condemnable, shameful and heart-wrenching”. She also said that boys must be taught that touching, stopping or mistreating a girl without her consent is a crime.
Maithili has also recently received public support from fellow BJP leader and actor Kangana Ranaut. A few days before the Jamui controversy, Kangana defended Maithili after the latter faced online criticism over her appearance at Mumbai’s Lalbaugcha Raja in a Rolls-Royce Cullinan. Questioning why politicians should be expected to give up a comfortable lifestyle, Kangana wrote on Instagram Stories, “We are not even interested in public money but to expect us to remain poor and lifeless is so irrational. Why can’t we also live well?” The Rolls-Royce seen with Maithili was not confirmed to be owned by her.
What happened in Jamui?
The incident took place on the evening of September 19, when a Class 10 girl and a boy, who are friends and attend the same coaching institute, were stopped by a group of men while returning on a scooter after visiting a nearby spot.
According to reports, the group abused and assaulted the teenagers and prevented them from leaving. A video of the incident was later circulated on social media, showing the two minors being surrounded and subjected to physical and sexual harassment.
Police formed a Special Investigation Team to investigate the case and identify the accused. The main accused, Nandan Yadav, was subsequently arrested after being injured in a police encounter. Police have also been investigating the circulation of the video, with officers warning that sharing footage that reveals the identity of a minor victim is a serious offence.
The incident has triggered widespread outrage and renewed discussion around women’s safety, moral policing and the treatment of victims. Pandey’s open letter adds his personal experience to that wider conversation, while the fact-check makes clear that the viral Maithili Thakur video should not be linked to the Jamui incident.
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
