The tragic death of a nine-year-old Dalit girl in Muzaffarpur, Bihar, following her alleged rape and reported delay in medical treatment, has jolted the conscience of many—and rightly so. Beyond the horror of the crime itself, the sequence of institutional failures that followed raises serious questions for the Nitish Kumar-led JD(U)-BJP government, which continues to speak of women’s empowerment while the ground reality tells a different story. As per reports, the accused, a local fish vendor, lured the child with snacks, took her to a deserted location, raped her, and slit her throat. The girl was later found by her mother in a bloodied, semi-naked state and rushed to the Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital in Muzaffarpur. Doctors there referred her to Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH). It is at PMCH that, according to her family, the child was left waiting for nearly six hours before she was attended to. She died the next day. The hospital authorities have denied the charge of delay, but the question remains—why was a critically injured child not immediately prioritised? Why did two government-run hospitals fail to save a young life? And more broadly, why is there still no protocol in place to ensure timely, coordinated care in such grave cases? This is not just about one case. It is about a state system that appears unprepared and indifferent when it comes to protecting the most vulnerable. Law enforcement agencies did not act swiftly. Healthcare facilities were not equipped or responsive. The absence of a coordinated, sensitive emergency response system—especially for sexual assault victims—is not a gap; it is a glaring failure.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has long touted Bihar’s record on women’s empowerment—reservations for women in panchayats, free cycles for schoolgirls, and increased female literacy. The BJP, too, never misses an opportunity to showcase its “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao” campaign. But when a child from a marginalised community is brutally assaulted and then dies waiting for help, the distance between slogans and reality becomes painfully visible. As Bihar heads toward Assembly elections, the government must ask itself whether its claims of good governance can stand scrutiny when even basic institutional accountability is missing. The silence from senior leaders—both in the state and at the Centre—has only added to the sense of neglect. The union home minister, vocal on incidents in opposition-ruled states, has not said a word. Justice must go beyond arresting the accused. An independent inquiry is needed into the police response, hospital protocols, and the delays that may have cost this child her life. The healthcare system must be overhauled, and training imparted to ensure such cases receive immediate, prioritised attention. Anything less would be a continued betrayal of the very people the state claims to serve. One child is gone. The only way to honour her memory is to ensure the system that failed her never fails again.
