While police action has followed in the cases, the incidents have brought renewed focus on the safety of women and girls. Bihar Director General of Police (DGP) Vinay Kumar has taken voluntary retirement, months before his scheduled superannuation in December, amid a series of harassment and molestation incidents involving women and girls in the state. Kumar, a senior IPS officer, is tipped to be appointed as the state's next Chief Information Commissioner. According to a notification issued by the state Home Department late Saturday night, Kumar, a 1991-batch IPS officer who recently went on leave for health reasons, applied for VRS on September 25, which the government has accepted "with immediate effect". The notification said that Kumar was granted VRS by "relaxing the rules that require a three-month notice on the part of the applicant". According to another notification issued by the General Administration Department, Kumar has been appointed the Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) "from the date of assuming charge". According to official sources, Kumar is likely to take up the new assignment after getting treated for his medical problems. Preeta Verma, a 1991-batch IPS officer who took over as the Acting DGP after Kumar went on leave earlier this month, is likely to "continue till further orders". The development comes as Bihar has reported three molestation cases in a week, with girls and women being confronted, surrounded, harassed or assaulted in public spaces, and the incidents being captured on camera. While police action has followed in the cases, the incidents have brought renewed focus on the safety of women and girls in Bihar. In Jamui, a Class X girl and her male classmate were stopped and harassed by a group after returning from coaching. Videos of the incident later surfaced on social media, triggering outrage, a political storm and a police crackdown. Then in Darbhanga, a schoolgirl was allegedly stopped on her way to school by two motorcycle-borne men who tried to snatch her dupatta. The girl raised an alarm, drawing the attention of passersby. Police subsequently apprehended both accused - a 19-year-old and a minor - within five hours, according to the police statement cited by PTI. In Samastipur, a 56-second video showing a girl allegedly being harassed in public surfaced from the Karpurigram area. Police said the incident took place on Dam Bypass Road in Jagatsinghpur village, where the girl had stopped with a male companion to take photographs. Four men were arrested after the video went viral, according to reports. The government and police response has included arrests, investigation teams and monitoring of viral videos. The incidents have also quickly become political, with the Opposition questioning the law and order situation in the state. Ananya is a journalist with a strong grounding in breaking news and a deep-rooted passion for geopolitics. She has 6 years of experience in TV and Dig... View More