Bihar govt rebuts Jehanabad frog-eating report

PATNA: The state government on Monday rebutted the media reports regarding children eating frogs in Jehanabad district due to alleged non-availability of food.
State information and public relations department (IPRD) director Pradeep Kumar Jha said in a statement that the reports were based on videos circulated on social media and published without any spot verification.“It is extremely disappointing to publish news reports without verifying facts, especially amid the stressful scenario in the state as well as the country owing to Covid-19 pandemic,” Jha said.
The state government also quoted a press statement issued by Jehanabad DM Navin Kumar, which reads, “News came on the social media that children were eating frogs at Ramgarh Mohalla in ward number 9 under Jehanabad municipal council. It is clearly evident from the video that some irresponsible persons had made the video with the intention to malign the image of district administration. Taking cognizance of the matter, a team of the district administration went to the spot and found sufficient quantity of wheat, flour, rice and pulses in their house. The children also said they get food everyday in the community kitchen run by the administration.”
Jha has sought clarification from the media houses that whether they verified the video on social media through spot verification and why complete statement of Jehanabad DM in this matter was not published. TOI also carried a report titled “Kids ‘eat’ frog, J’bad DM orders probe”.
“Bihar government is dedicated to providing all possible support to people in the state in the prevailing scenario. The image of entire state has been maligned by publishing such baseless and unverified news reports,” Jha said.