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Manju Verma is an Indian politician who has served twice as an MLA in the Bihar Legislative Assembly and Social Welfare Minister of Bihar from 2015 to 2018. She gained attention in 2018 when she was named as an accused in the Muzaffarpur Shelter Home Case.
Wiki/Biography
Kumari Manju Verma (also spelt as Kumar Manju Varma) was born in Bihar, India. As per her election affidavit in 2010, she was born in 1969 (age 55 years; as of 2024), and as per her election affidavit in 2020, she was born in 1963 (age 61 years; as of 2024). She pursued her schooling till matric (10th standard) at High School, Alauli, Khagaria, Bihar (passed in 1976). As per her election affidavit in 2010, she studied till Intermediate (12th standard) at B.B.M. College, Samastripur (from 1984 to 1986) affiliated with Lalit Narayan Mithila University (LNMU), Darbhanga, and as per her election affidavit in 2015, she studied till Intermediate at VRV College, Samastipur (passed in 1985). She later pursued a career in politics.
Manju Verma before joining politics
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 4″
Weight (approx.): 55 kg
Hair Colour: Salt & pepper
Eye Colour: Black
Family
Parents & Siblings
There are not many details available about her parents. She has a sister.
Manju Verma’s father
Manju Verma’s mother
Husband & Children
Her husband, Chandra Shekhar Verma, is also a member of JDU; their marriage anniversary falls on 5 June.
Manju Verma with her husband, Chandra Shekhar Verma
She has a son named Abhishek Anand, a social worker, who is married to Sonu Anand and has a son and a daughter, and a daughter named Anumeha Anand who is married to Sunny Sinha.
Manju Verma’s son, Abhishek Anand, with his wife, Sonu Anand and his children
Manju Verma’s daughter, Anumeha Anand, with her husband, Sunny Sinha
Other Relatives
Her father-in-law, Sukhdev Mahto, was a member of the Communist Party of India (CPI) and served as an MLA in the 8th Bihar Legislative Assembly (1980-1985) from Cheria-Bariarpur constituency.
Caste
She belongs to the Kushwaha caste which belongs to the Other Backward Caste (OBC) category in Bihar.
Address
Village + Post Office – Arjuntola Baryarpur, Begusarai, Bihar, Pin Code – 851132
Signature
Manju Verma’s signature
Career
Kumari Manju Verma won her first election in 2010 as a Janata Dal-United (JDU) candidate and became an MLA (Member of Legislative Assembly) of the 15th Bihar Legislative Assembly (2010-2015) from Cheria-Bariarpur constituency and was re-elected in the 16th Assembly (2015-2020) in 2015.
Manju Verma (middle) after winning her first MLA elections in 2010
She was included in Nitish Kumar’s cabinet in 2015 as the Social Welfare Minister of Bihar. She resigned from the post on 8 August 2018 after her name cropped up in the Muzaffarpur Shelter Home case.
Manju Verma taking oath as the Minister of Social Welfare in Bihar government
She was also removed from JDU; however, when no evidence was found against her, she became a member again. She contested the Assembly elections for the third time in 2020 in which she was defeated by Raj Banshi Mahto of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).
Manju Verma with Nitish Kumar (right) during elections campaigning
Controversies
Muzaffarpur Shelter Home Case
In 2017, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) conducted an audit of shelter homes in Bihar and reported alleged instances of sexual abuse, rape and torture in its final report in 2018. It was alleged that a shelter home in Muzaffarpur which was run by Brajesh Thakur, head of an NGO named Sewa Sankalp Evam Vikas Samiti, where exploitation was taking place on a large scale.
Brajesh Thakur, the main accused in Muzaffarpur Shelter Home Case
Later, Manju Verma and her husband, Chandra Shekhar Verma were also named as an accused in the FIR related to the case. Manju said that she was being targeted by her political rivals. She was serving as the Social Justice Minister of Bihar at that time, but quit her post after the matter was reported in the press. She was arrested and was later given bail by the court.
Manju Verma being taken to the court after arrest
FIR in Arms Act
In August 2018, a team from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) raided Verma’s ancestral house in Arjuntola and recovered 50 cartridges following which a case was registered against her and her husband under IPC Section 25(1-A)26/35 Arms Act. They were arrested for their involvement, and the court later gave them bail.
CBI officials seizing the assets from Manju Verma’s home during the raid
Car Collection
In 2020, she owned a Mahindra Scorpio SUV (2011 model) and a Hyundai Creta SUV.
Salary/Income
Verma’s income for the financial year 2020-2021 was Rs 4,89,390 (approx. Rs 4 lakh 89 thousand). This income excludes the income of her husband.
Assets & Properties
Movable Assets
- Bank Deposits: Rs. 22,97,984
- Motor Vehicles: Rs. 30,00,000
Immovable Assets
- Agricultural Land: Rs. 14,00,000
Note: The given estimates of movable and immovable assets are according to the year 2020. It excludes the assets owned by her husband.
Net Worth
Her net worth for the financial year 2020-2021 was Rs 83,14,984 (approx. Rs 83 lakh). It excludes the net worth of her husband.
In Popular Media
In 2024, the Hindi film ‘Bhakshak’ was released on Netflix which starred Bhumi Pednekar, Sanjay Mishra, Sai Tamhankar, and Aditya Srivastava in lead roles; Manju Verma was portrayed by Vibha Chibber, a noted TV actress. The film’s producer, Pulkit, said in an interview that the film included a story from the Muzaffarpur Shelter Home Case.
A poster of the film Bhakshak
Facts/Trivia
- In the financial year 2011-12, she donated Rs 85,000 to JDU.
- She likes to travel during her leisure time.
Manju Verma during a trip to Rajgir
- She is a promoter of Anand Yuva Shakti, a self-help group, founded by her son, Abhishek Anand.
Manju Verma during a program of Anand Yuva Shakti