NHRC notice to Bihar govt, DGP over assault, stripping of woman in Patna village

The NHRC has sent a notice to the Bihar government and the state's police chief over reports that a woman, belonging to Scheduled Caste, was allegedly brutally assaulted, stripped and urinated upon in a village in Patna.

Reportedly, she was subjected to 'torture and inhuman treatment' after purportedly failing to repay additional interest on a loan, amounting to Rs 1,500 which she had borrowed from a local strongman, the rights panel said in a statement.

The National Human Rights Commission has taken suo motu cognisance of a media report that 'a 30-year-old woman belonging to Scheduled Caste, was brutally assaulted, stripped and urinated upon' in the village on September 23, it said.

The Commission has observed that the contents of the media report, if true, amount to violation of the human rights of the victim woman.

The reported incident is indicative of the free will with which perpetrators acted without a fear of law, which is a matter of concern. Accordingly, it has issued notices to the chief secretary and the director general of police of Bihar, seeking a detailed report within four weeks, the statement said.

The report should also include the status of the FIR, physical as well as mental health status of the victim woman and compensation, if any, granted to her, it added.

The victim, reported to be from the Scheduled Caste community, is also eligible for the compensation in accordance with the provision of rules framed under the SC/ST (PoA) Act. The authorities are expected to explain in the report about the status of the installment of the compensation given to the victim.

The victim has passed through a trauma, hence, it is also expected from the state government to intimate whether any counselling has been provided to her, it said.

According to the media report, carried on September 25, the accused had approached the woman four days before the incident, coercing her to repay an additional amount as interest and the victim had reported the matter to the police.

The accused reportedly belong to a dominant caste, while there are only a few Scheduled Caste families residing in the village, who have stated that 'they are in fear and are thinking of leaving the place for some days', the statement said.