“1997 IAS officer Wife Champa Biswas Rape Case of Bihar”:When Power Silenced Justice.

On 8th July 1990, B.B. Biswas (1982 Batch IAS officer) married Champa Biswas. Shortly after, he was posted to Bihar as the Secretary of Samaj Kalyan Vibhag. On 2nd November 1995, the Biswas family relocated to a government quarter on Belli Road, Patna.

Their new neighbor was Hemlata Yadav, a powerful politician from the RJD party (Rashtriya Janata Dal) also the Chairman of the Samaj Kalyan Vibhag committee. The two families lived in close quarters on Belli Road. The case first came to light when Champa Biswas submitted an official written complaint to the police department. In her complaint, Champa alleged that Mritunjay Yadav, Hemlata’s son, had repeatedly raped her over the past two years. Despite the complaint, the police took no action. After exhausting all options, Champa and her husband filed a petition with the Governor of Bihar, Sundar Singh Bhandari, describing the harassment, abuse, and torture faced by her and her family by the hands of Mritunjay and his family.

Champa revealed to governor that Mritunjay Yadav had sexually abused not only her but also her mother-in-law, niece and two maids in the past two years. Once when the abuse continued, she became pregnant and had to go to Kolkata for an abortion. She opted for sterilisation, as Champa felt that Mritunjay would not stop raping her and no one was ready to help her or her family – neither the police nor the government. Frustrated, she felt that this would continue like this.

Governor Sundar Singh Bhandari took the matter seriously, forwarding the case to the Home Ministry and requesting an investigation, The DGP of Patna, Niyaz Ahmed, investigated the case personally but, citing insufficient evidence, rejected the case.

Although this seemed to halt the legal proceedings, the abuse continued for Champa. The issue resurfaced when Sushil Kumar Modi,(An opposition leader and now Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar) held a press conference. He brought attention to Champa’s complaint, raising public concern over the safety of IAS officers’ families, which ignited a media storm.

Following this, the police took Champa Biswas’s full statement. She described her initial days in Bihar when she moved into the government quarters on Belli Road. Hemlata Yadav, who was her neighbor, called her over on 7th September 1995, under the pretense of needing help because her servant was sick. When Champa arrived, two men and some party politicians were present. Hemlata directed her to another room, locked it, and Mritunjay Yadav was inside and forcibly raped her. Hemlata threatened her afterward, warning that if she spoke out, her family would be harmed, and her nudes photos would be made public. Fearful, Champa stayed silent, but this emboldened Mritunjay, who began visiting her home whenever she was alone and rape her whenever he want.

The abuse did not stop with Champa. Mritunjay also assaulted her mother-in-law, niece, and two servants in the household. When B.B. Biswas became aware of the abuse, he reached out to everyone he could, pleading for help, but no one intervened. Between 1995 and 1997, Champa Biswas endured two years of regular assaults by Mritunjay Yadav.

Then Due to pressure from the Governor and opposition, Mritunjay was finally arrested in 1997, while Hemlata Yadav went into hiding. Police eventually found and arrested her two months later. In 2002, the Patna Lower Court sentenced Mritunjay to 10 years of imprisonment and Hemlata to 3 years for aiding her son’s crimes. Since Hemlata had already served three years in jail awaiting trial, she was released on bail.

After also three years in jail, Mritunjay challenged the verdict in the Patna High Court and was released on bail during the appeal process. In 2010, a single-judge bench of Justice Mandhata Singh overturned the lower court’s decision, ruling that the relationship between Champa and Mritunjay was “of consensual nature,” as asserted by defense counsel S. Verma.

B.B. Biswas and Champa Biswas, devastated by the court’s ruling, decided to leave Bihar and moved to Delhi. And When Jharkhand was carved out of Bihar in 2000, B.B. Biswas was transferred to the new state cadre, but he eventually Died Then Champa moved to Kolkata,and currently she living a life of anonymity.

Our opinion:- Champa Biswas's story shows a terrible failure in the system. Even though she was the wife of a powerful IAS officer, she wasn’t safe from that kind of abuse, and the system ignored her suffering. This raises a serious question: if someone in her position isn’t safe, how can ordinary people feel protected?

This case reveals deep problems in law enforcement and courts, where power and politics can stand in the way of justice. To fix this, we need real changes making the police accountable, ensuring fair trials, and protecting survivors who come forward.

Champa’s story reminds us that India must work to protect everyone equally and make sure no one has to suffer alone, especially when they ask for justice.

Author Name

Aniket Kumar (First Year BA.LLB Student) 

Sources of information:-

Times of India Article

India today report

Aaj tak report

Crime tak anchor shams report

Chat gpt research

Meta ai research