A local strongman and his associates in Bihar’s Patna district allegedly stripped, assaulted and urinated on a Dalit woman for complaining to the police about their demand for an additional interest payment of Rs 1,500 on a Rs 9,000 loan, reported PTI.
The assault took place in the Mosimpur village of Patna on Saturday.
The complainant, who is undergoing treatment, said that she had returned the borrowed amount and the stipulated interest to the key accused named Pramod Singh. “However, he continued to seek more money,” she said. “We rejected the demand.”
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 Saturday 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.”
She was allegedly disrobed, manhandled and beaten with sticks there.
“Pramod asked his son to urinate on my face,” said the complainant. “He did so. After that, I somehow managed to escape and returned home.”
A relative of the complainant also stated that the accused persons are from a dominant caste, while there are only a few houses belonging to Dalits in the village, reported The Times of India.
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.
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