A Dalit woman was allegedly stripped, thrashed and urinated on by a moneylender and his associates in Bihar’s Patna for filing a complaint to the police regarding his demand for more money espite the repayment of debt, an official said on Monday (September 25).
The accused were identified as Pramod Singh and his son Anshu Singh, both of who are absconding, the police said, adding that hunt for the duo has been launched.
The incident occurred in a village under the jurisdiction of Khusrupur police station in Patna on Saturday night.
The victim who was admitted to a hospital after sustaining injuries in the alleged incident claimed that she was tortured despite clearing the debt with interest.
“My husband had borrowed Rs 1,500 from Pramod Singh a few months ago and had returned the money with interest. However, he continued to seek more money. We rejected the demand,” the woman said.
Threat to parade woman naked
Pramod Singh allegedly threatened the woman over the phone to parade her naked in the village if she failed to give him more money, following which she complained to the police.
“A police team visited the village on Saturday to inquire about the complaint, which apparently angered Pramod and his associates. They went to her house at around 10 pm on Saturday and forcibly took her to Pramod’s house,” a family member of the victim told reporters.
She was allegedly disrobed and beaten up there with fists and sticks.
“Pramod asked his son to urinate on my mouth. He did so. After that, I somehow managed to escape and returned home,” the woman said in a statement to the police.
Senior Superintendent of Police (Patna) Rajeev Mishra said that teams have been constituted to nab the accused and hunt for them is underway.
“We have formed five police teams and searches are being conducted. A case has already been registered in this regard and further investigation is on,” Mishra said.
CM assures action
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said strict action would be taken against those involved in the assault on the woman.
“I have given standing instruction to police and administration to handle such an incident on a priority basis. Strict action will be taken against those involved in it,” Kumar told reporters.
(With PTI inputs)
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