PATNA: Two Muslim women, a mother and daughter, had their heads tonsured before being paraded through the streets in Bihar on Wednesday evening after they protested rape attempts by some influential villagers. The incident took place in Vaishali district, barely few kilometres from the capital city Patna, and has exposed the prevailing issue of law and order situation in the state. The police have arrested two people so far.
According to the survivors, they were alone in their home when some youths entered inside and tried to rape them, which they fought against. Failing in their attempts, the accused men assaulted them, made a barber shave their heads, and then paraded through the streets, blaming them for “loose character”.
“I, along with my mother, was alone in my house last evening when five men from the neighbourhood forcibly entered the house and tried to sexually assault us, which we both protested. Angry at our protests, they beat us badly, dragged us out of the home and paraded us through the street after getting our heads tonsured,” the daughter told the police.
Acting promptly, the police have registered a case against the accused and also arrested two of the men involved. Raids are also on to nab the other accused men. “We have arrested two men while raids were on to nab other accused persons. They will be caught soon,” a local police official, Sanjay Kumar, told the media on Thursday.
Police said the arrested persons included a local village council official, Mohammad Khurshid, who had called a barber and got the women’s heads tonsured after they protested rape attempts. The barber also has been arrested.
The Bihar State Women Commission has strongly condemned the incident and sought stern action against the culprits. “The incident is highly condemnable. I will visit the victim women very soon and recommend for stern action against the accused persons,” Commission Chairman, Dilmani Mishra, said.
A similar incident was reported from a neighbouring district where some men made attempts to crush a woman to death after allegedly failing in rape attempt. As per reports, the woman was returning home after treating her child at a local clinic when men in a car tried to kidnap and rape them, which she protested.
When the local villagers rushed in the direction after hearing her cry for help, the accused persons tried to run the car over her. She sustained injuries in the incident. The police have seized the car but the accused men have escaped.
Incidents of rape have become a matter of serious concern in Bihar. According to an official report, more than 6,200 incidents of rape have been reported in the past five years.
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