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Bihar gets notice over stripping of woman in public

The National Human Rights Commission has taken a serious note of an incident in which a woman was stripped in public and forced to swallow human excreta in Bihar.

The Commission has issued a show-cause notice to the Bihar chief secretary, directing him to file a report on the incident within six weeks.

The Commission issued the notice after taking suo motu cognisance of an April 21 newspaper report.

The report had said that a widow, accused of being a witch, was stripped in public by her own relatives and forced to swallow human excreta on March 22 in Khedbeda village of Dhanbad district in the south Bihar.

The report said the accused have been bailed out and that the government doctor persistently refused to provide her with an 'injury report'. The victim and her children did not venture out since that dreadful afternoon of March 22.

The report quoted her as saying that she still felt the repulsive smell of excreta in her mouth.

The widow was returning from her wheat field when more than 12 persons, hiding along the roadside, pounced upon her. They tied her hands and threw her on the road. One of them planted his legs on her throat and another forced open her mouth with an iron rod. A third one poured three bottles of excreta down her throat, the report said. One of her teeth was broken with an iron pipe by her tormentors.

Later they stripped the widow and no one came to her rescue though hundreds of villagers watched her plight. When her daughters and son tried to her help, the tormentors also stripped her daughters and the son was beaten up.

She was taken to a hospital in a semi-conscious state, but the doctors refused to give her an 'injury report'.

The widow now apprehends further attacks as her tormentors have been given bail. Villagers reportedly said that three of them had been arrested and let off after they allegedly bribed the police officials.

Her troubles started when as a 38-year-old woman she was married to a septuagenarian and the relatives of her husband wanted to grab the piece of land, which was the sole property of the couple. The relatives then branded her as a 'witch' and beat her up on several occasions before her husband, who was too weak to resist.

UNI

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