Patna: Journalists faced a tough time on Friday when security personnel of social welfare minister Manju Verma allegedly roughed them up when they tried to ask her a few questions.

The minister has been in the eye of a storm ever since the Muzaffarpur incident came to light in which 34 minor girls were repeatedly raped during their stay in a shelter home. The Friday incident occurred at the venue of a government-sponsored event in which a scheme to provide financial help to girls was launched. The social welfare minister was chairing the event in which chief minister Nitish Kumar, his deputy Sushil Kumar Modi and her cabinet colleagues Krishna Nandan Prasad Verma and Mangal Pandey were also present.

Manju has been at the receiving end since July 25 when Shibha Kumari Singh, wife of arrested district child protection officer of Muzaffarpur, Ravi Kumar Raushan, said while her husband has been framed in the case, no one was talking about the minister's husband, Chandeshwar Verma, who used to frequent the short stay home Balika Grih. Since then the Opposition members are demanding her resignation.

On Friday, the problem started just before the commencement of the event when Manju reached the venue before other dignitaries. Republic TV journalist Prakash Singh tried to speak to her but her security personnel didn't allow him to speak to the minister.

"They shoved me," Prakash said, adding that he tried to speak to Manju as his efforts to get an appointment the past four days had proved futile. Once the event got over and the minister was coming out of the venue, some more TV journalists, holding mikes approached her asking questions on the recent demand of her resignation and the charges levelled against her husband.

Rohit Singh of Aaj Tak faced a rude behaviour of the security personnel when he tried to ask questions from Manju. "She refused to take my questions and her security personnel made a ring around her. Some of them pushed him harshly and I got hurt in the scuffle," he said. Shyam Sundar Sushobhit of Times Now faced the maximum brunt as he was hit by the butt of the guns of the security personnel. "They hit me with the butt of their guns. I was pushed as well and I fell on the ground," he said.

Efforts to speak to the minister proved futile.