A woman was thrashed and paraded naked by a mob on Monday morning in Bhojpur district on the suspicion of being involved in the murder of a local youth.
The body of Bimlesh Sao, 19, was found on a railway track at Bihiya town, some 25 km from Ara, district headquarters of Bhojpur, on Monday morning.
Later, a mob from Damodarpur village, where Sao belonged to, took to the streets and started vandalising shops and vehicles. The mob said the teenager was strangled to death and his body thrown on the railway track to cover up the murder.
They suspected a woman living in the red-light area of Bihiya town was behind the murder, and she was dragged to the street.
The mob later ripped off her clothes, thrashed and paraded her naked in full public view.
All along, she pleaded her innocence but no one came to her rescue.
The mob also threw stones at trains passing on the track nearby.
Later, the police had to open fire to disperse the mob and take the woman in to custody.
She was taken to the local hospital and is under police protection.
“Altogether 15 persons, including local Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Kaushal Yadav, have been arrested in the case… Seven policemen, including the local Bihiya police station officer in charge, have been suspended for dereliction of duty”, Bhojpur Superintendent of Police Awakash Kumar told local journalists.
Tejashwi Yadav's plea
Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Tejashwi Yadav tweeted, “In Bihar, a woman is allegedly stripped, thrashed and paraded naked by a mob in a lawless State. I'm speechless and numb to see the heart-wrenching videos of that woman. Nitish ji , with folded hands I request you to fix law and order and ensure women safety and security. Please.”
Opposition leaders slammed the Nitish Kumar-led government for the alleged spurt in crime against women in Bihar, while the ruling National Democratic Alliance leaders said police have taken action and arrested 15 persons in the case.
“The law is taking its own course and anybody found involved in the incident will not be spared…some policemen too have been suspended”, said JD(U) leader and party spokesperson Neeraj Kumar.
