Manju Verma is an Indian politician who twice served as a Member of the Bihar Legislative Assembly and Bihar Minister of Social Welfare from 2015 to 2018. She came to attention in 2018 when she was named as an accused in the Muzaffarpur asylum case.
Wiki/Biography
Kumari Manju Verma (also spelled Kumar Manju Varma) was born in Bihar, India. According to her 2010 election affidavit, she was born in 1969 (age 55; as of 2024), and according to her 2020 election affidavit, she was born in 1963 (age 61; as of 2024). She continued her studies till matriculation (10th class) in Higher Secondary School (passed in 1976) at Khagaria, Alauli, Bihar. According to her 2010 election affidavit, she was affiliated with BBM College, Darbhanga Lalitnarayan Mithila University (LNMU) in Samastripur from 1984 to 1986 ) studied till Intermediate (12th standard); as per her 2015 election affidavit, she studied till Intermediate (1985 passed in 2016). She later pursued a political career.
Manju Verma Before joining politics
appearance
Height (approximately): 5′4″
Weight (approximately): 55kg
Hair Color: Salt & Pepper
Eye color: black
family
Parents and siblings
There are not many details about her parents. She has a sister.
Manju Verma’s father
Manju Verma’s mother
husband and children
Her husband, Chandra Shekhar Verma, is also a member of JDU; their wedding anniversary is June 5.
Manju Verma and her husband Chandra Shekhar Verma
She has a son named Abhishek Anand, a social worker, married to Sonu Anand, with whom she has a son and a daughter; and a daughter named Anumeh Anand, married to Sunny Sinha.
Manju Verma’s son Abhishek Anand and his wife Sonu Anand and children
Manju Verma’s daughter Anumeha Anand and 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 MLA in the 8th Bihar Legislative Assembly (1980-1985) from Cheria-Bariarpur constituency.
caste
She belongs to the Kushwaha caste and falls under the Other Backward Caste (OBC) category in Bihar.
address
Village + Post Office – Arjuntola Baryarpur, Begusarai, Bihar, Postal Code – 851132
sign
Manju Verma’s signature
Profession
Kumari Manju Verma won her first election in 2010 as a JDU candidate from the Cheria-Bariarpur constituency in the 15th Bihar Legislative Assembly (2010-2015 ) of the MLA (Member of the Legislative Assembly) and was re-elected to the 16th Assembly in 2015 (2015-2020).
Manju Verma (centre) after winning her first provincial election in 2010
In 2015, she was inducted into Nitish Kumar’s cabinet as Bihar’s social welfare minister. She resigned from her post on August 8, 2018, after her name came up in the Muzaffarpur shelter case.
Manju Verma sworn in as Social Welfare Minister, Government of Bihar
She was also expelled from JDU; however, she became a member again when no evidence was found against her. She contested the assembly elections for the third time in 2020 but was defeated by Raj Banshi Mahto of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).
Manju Verma and Nitish Kumar (right) during the election campaign
dispute
Muzaffarpur Shelter Case
In 2017, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) conducted an audit of shelter homes in Bihar and reported alleged incidents of sexual abuse, rape and torture in its final report in 2018. Written by Brajesh Thakur, who heads an NGO called Sewa Sankalp Evam Vikas Samiti, it is alleged that massive exploitation is taking place at a shelter home in Muzaffarpur.
Brajesh Thakur, main accused in Muzaffarpur shelter case
Later, Manju Verma and her husband Chandra Shekhar Verma were also named as accused in the FIR related to the case. Manju said she was targeted by political opponents. She was Bihar’s social justice minister at the time but resigned after the matter was reported in the media. She was arrested and later granted bail by the court.
Manju Verma arrested and taken to court
FIR Arms Bill
In August 2018, a team of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) raided Verma’s ancestral house in Arjuntola and seized 50 cartridges, following which she was charged under Section 25(1-A) 26/35 of the Arms Act of the IPC. A case was opened against her husband. . They were arrested for their involvement and a court later granted them bail.
CBI officials seize assets from Manju Verma’s house in raid
car collection
As of 2020, she owns a Mahindra Scorpio SUV (2011 model) and a Hyundai Creta SUV.
salary/income
Verma’s revenue for the financial year 2020-2021 was Rs 4,89,390 (approximately Rs 4 lakh 89,000). This income does not include her husband’s income.
Assets and property
movable property
- Bank Deposit: Rs. 22,97,984
- Motor Vehicles: Rs. 30,00,000
real estate
- Agricultural land: Rs. 14,00,000
Note: The movable and immovable property estimates given are based on 2020 and do not include assets owned by her husband.
net worth
Her net worth in the financial year 2020-2021 is Rs 83,14,984 (approximately Rs 83 lakh). This does not include her husband’s net worth.
in mass media
In 2024, the Hindi film “Bhakshak” was released on Netflix, starring Bhumi Pednekar, Sanjay Mishra, Sai Tamhankar and Aditya Srivastava; Manju Verma is played by the famous TV actress Vibha Chibber. The film’s producer Pulkit said in an interview that the film contains stories from the Muzaffarpur shelter home case.
Poster of the movie “Bakshak”
Facts/Trivia
- In the financial year 2011-12, she donated Rs 85,000 to JDU.
- In her free time, she enjoys traveling.
Manju Verma’s trip to Rajgir
- She is the founder of the self-help organization Anand Yuva Shakti, founded by her son Abhishek Anand.
Manju Verma on Anand Yuva Shakti
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education