A day later, bulldozers demolished what authorities claimed were illegal constructions — including a tea shop — belonging to Rahul Kumar, Rambabu Sahni and Awadhesh Paswan. The Samastipur district administration said the action was “taken on encroachments made on government land”.

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The administration also took action against an encroachment outside Vikas Kumar Sharma’s house in Jagatsingpur.

Samastipur Sadar Sub-Divisional Magistrate Rakesh Kumar told on Saturday that the administration had taken action against three of the four accused for encroachment on government land. “One of them, Vikas Sharma, has a permanent construction. While it was not demolished yesterday, a 24-hour notice had been served to his family to vacate the encroached portion. Another notice is to be served today, following which further action will be taken after three days,” he said. He also confirmed the cancellation of Awadhesh Paswan’s PDS licence.

The latest developments came amid a series of videos involving alleged harassment of girls that have surfaced across Bihar over the past week, keeping police in several districts on their toes. Earlier this week, a video showed youths surrounding and allegedly harassing two teenage students in a hilly area on the outskirts of Jamui. Police subsequently apprehended three juveniles and arrested two people, identified as Nandan Yadav and Hareram Yadav. Police said Nandan was shot in the leg while resisting arrest.

The incident and its aftermath became a political flashpoint in the state, with Indian Youth Congress National Secretary Murari Kumar alleging that a bulldozer was sent to the house of a local Congress leader for his protest over the Jamui incident.

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Another unrelated video showed a girl allegedly harassed, pulled by her hair and subjected to abusive remarks by a group of youths on a bypass road in Samastipur in broad daylight. The four accused were subsequently sent to judicial custody after their arrest, following registration of an FIR under relevant provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the Information Technology Act.

Police said Vikas had previously faced FIRs under the Excise Act in connection with alleged liquor smuggling and had been in jail in those cases. The criminal backgrounds of the other accused were also being verified, officials said.

Demolitions in Bihar have followed a series of reported harassment cases

A third video of an unrelated incident from Samastipur shows some people allegedly harassing a girl on a road under Musrighari police station. The purported video, reportedly from August 14, led to four people being identified and one person, Dharmendra Sahni, being arrested. Police said the arrest was made within five hours of receiving information, with suspects being booked under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act and the Information Technology Act.

Another video from Banka showed some people harassing and assaulting a girl at the historic Mandar Hill tourist site. Police later said the incident had actually taken place on June 3, and that they had identified three suspects working as migrant labourers outside Bihar.

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Meanwhile, amid criticism from the Opposition over the law-and-order situation, the Bihar Police have ordered a wider review across the state. Thirty-six IPS officers of ADG, IG and DIG ranks have been assigned districts for a three-day review from September 25 to 27. They have been asked to stay in their respective districts, review law and order and police functioning, examine key issues and submit reports to the DGP’s office.