23-yr-old tortured on suspicion of theft in Bihar, one arrested: Cops

MADHEPURA A 23-year-old man was allegedly beaten up and force-fed faeces by a mob in Kushthan village of Bihar’s Madhepura district on the suspicion of theft, police said on Monday

MADHEPURA

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A 23-year-old man was allegedly beaten up and force-fed faeces by a mob in Kushthan village of Bihar’s Madhepura district on the suspicion of theft, police said on Monday.

One person was arrested and a case was filed against seven identified and 25 unidentified accused, police said.

According to police, the victim, a scheduled caste (SC) man identified as Jhakash Sharma, was allegedly caught stealing maize from a field belonging to a Yadav family.

A mob — comprising Yadavs and some SCs — then allegedly thrashed the 23-year-old after tonsuring his head, and paraded him in the village with slippers around his neck.

Kushthan comprises mostly of people from the Yadav community, classified as Other Backward Class (OBC) in Bihar, and SCs. In the region, many SC families use the surname Sharma.

Madhepura superintendent of police Yogendra Kumar ordered a probe into the incident after a video of the incident surfaced on social media on Sunday. HT has seen the video.

Station house officer (SHO) of Bihariganj police station Arun Kumar said, “We have lodged an FIR against seven people and 25 unidentified people under various sections including SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act on the basis of the written statement of Prem Lal Sharma, the father of the victim, Jhakash Sharma.” The arrested accused was identified as Gobinda Sharma, the SHO said, adding: “Police are carrying out raids to arrest the other accused.”

Activists sought stringent punishment for the accused. “The incident has shamed us, and we are going to write to the state human rights commission to take up the issue,” said Sumit Prakash, a social worker.