Patna: Chief minister Nitish Kumar on Friday admitted to being ashamed and in pain over the rape of little girls at a state government-funded shelter home in Muzaffarpur, speaking up for the first time on the case that has shaken the Bihar and the country.

" Muzaffarpur mein aisi ghtna ghat gayee ki hum log sharshaar hain (Such an incident took place in Muzaffarpur. We are ashamed and are in pain). We are racked by a feeling of guilt. I don't understand what kind of people are present in the society," Nitish said at a programme to launch a scheme that aims to provide financial help for girls' health and education.

A large number of young girls and women were in the audience at the event, held at Adhiveshan Bhavan.

When the government was replying on the Muzaffarpur horror in the Assembly during the recently concluded monsoon session, Nitish was not present in the House. The Opposition, and Nitish's former deputy Tejashwi Prasad Yadav in particular, had latched on to his silence to accuse the chief minister of apathy.

The chief minister said the social welfare department oversees the shelter homes and pointed out that a CBI probe was on. "We stand for a high court-monitored probe so that anyone who is guilty cannot escape," he said.

Nitish said he had asked the chief secretary to create a system that could prevent repetition of such a horror - at least 34 girls were raped in just one shelter home - in the future.