Patna: A violent mob thrashed a minor, stripped him naked and left a swarm of ants on his bare body all because they suspected he had stolen a villager's cell phone.
The victim with minor injuries has been admitted to a local government hospital.
The incident took place in Phulwarisharif locality of Patna, the capital of Bihar state, on Saturday, bringing to fore how the “mob justice” rules the state despite all efforts by the state government to contain it.
As per reports, Noor Alam's cell phone went missing from his home on Friday - a state for which he suspected the 10-year-old.
On Saturday, the local villagers caught a hold of the child and asked him about the missing mobile; he denied his involvement in the case of the missing product.
Then the angry villagers beat the boy and tied him up to a tree. Not satisfied, they then undressed him and threw sugar-water solution at him before releasing a clump of red ants on his body.
Witnesses said that for the next two hours the boy cried in pain but the mob showed him no mercy. His ordeal lasted for some two hours until someone from the neighbourhood called up the police and informed them about the incident. It was then that the police rushed to the spot and rescued the boy who was later admitted to a local health centre for treatment.
“We have taken the incident very seriously. None will be allowed to take law unto their own hands,” the local deputy superintendent of police Ramakant Prasad told the media on Sunday. He added the police had registered a case and were trying to identify the accused after scanning the video footages.
The police, however, say the victim had a criminal past; and he had only recently been released from a child care home where he was an inmate charged with stealing.
“Mob justice” has become a matter of grave concern in Bihar and the authorities are finding it hard to contain. Earlier this month, a youth was assaulted and made to lick the spit of villagers for his alleged involvement in a case of thieving in Nalanda district. Last month, an elderly woman was beaten, stripped naked and paraded through the streets in Bhojpur district on the suspicion of being a murderer.
