Bihar: Mahadalit Woman Stripped, Beaten, and Urinated Upon
Mahadalit woman in Bihar assaulted by local strongman over loan dispute; accused at large, sparks concerns over women's safety.
A local strongman and his associates in Bihar’s Patna Mosimpur village of Patna allegedly stripped, assaulted and urinated on a Mahadalit woman. The incident occurred on 23 September 2023. The complainant, who is undergoing treatment, said that she had taken a loan of Rs 9,000 from Pramod Singh and had returned the amount. She had even paid Rs 1,500 as interest. Pramod Singh belonged to a higher caste which was the dominant caste in the village. While the woman was a Mahadalit and they were the minority in the village. The woman said that despite paying the amount and the interest, Pramod kept asking for more money as interest. However, the woman refused to pay. She filed a complaint after Singh allegedly threatened her over the phone, saying that he would parade her naked in the village if she did not give him more money. “A police team visited the village on 23 September to inquire about the complaint, which apparently angered Pramod and his associates,” said a family member. “They went to her house at around 10 pm on Saturday and forcibly took her to Pramod’s house.” "We embarked on a search and discovered her rushing home without any clothing. We quickly covered her and brought her home," Das recounted. "She disclosed that she had been stripped, and Pramod's son had subjected her to a degrading act of urination. Additionally, she had a head injury and visible beating marks on her thighs," he continued. Das highlighted that the accused belonged to a dominant caste in the village, while Mahadalit households were scarce. "We live in fear and contemplate relocating temporarily," he expressed. Patna Senior Superintendent of Police Rajiv Mishra said that Pramod Singh and his son Anshu Singh are absconding after the assault. A manhunt has been launched to arrest them. “We have formed five police teams and searches are being conducted,” Mishra added. Reacting to the incident, Union minister Giriraj Singh slammed the Mahagathbandhan government in Bihar for the surge in crime. "The incident is an example of the level of women's safety under SUSHASAN. Women are feeling unsafe in Bihar," he said.
