India News | Key Accused Held in Bihar Dalit Woman Stripping Case; Govt Announces Rs 2 Lakh Compensation

Patna, Sep 26 (PTI) A moneylender, who was accused of stripping, assaulting and urinating on a Dalit woman in Bihar's Patna district apparently for complaining to police about his "unjustified" demand for more money even after full repayment of the debt, was arrested on Tuesday.

The police said they are continuing searches to nab the five other accused, including the moneylender's son.

Also Read | Umrao Jewellers Heist: Thieves Drilled Hole Into Strong Room, Steal Jewellery Worth Rs 25 Crore in Delhi.

“The main accused, Pramod Singh, involved in assaulting and urinating on a Dalit woman on September 23, was arrested by the police from Fatuha town on Tuesday,” the police said in a statement.

The incident had taken place in a village under the jurisdiction of Khusrupur police station.

Also Read | Manipur Violence: All Schools To Remain Shut Till September 29 After Massive Students' Protest.

The Patna district administration also announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh and said it has already transferred half of that amount to her bank account.

She will get the remaining amount in two equal instalments of Rs 50,000 – one after the charge sheet is filed and the other after the conviction of the accused, the administration said in a statement.

The injured victim had told the police that she was stripped, assaulted and urinated on her mouth by Pramod Singh, Anshu Singh and their associates on the night of September 23. She also told police that she had to bear this torture despite paying off the borrowed money with interest.

"My husband had borrowed Rs 1,500 from Pramod Singh a few months ago and had returned the money with interest. However, he continued to seek more money. We rejected the demand," the woman said in her statement.

A family member of the victim told reporters, "A police team visited the village on Saturday to inquire about the complaint, which apparently angered Pramod and his associates. They went to her residence at 10 pm and forcibly took her to Pramod's house. There, she was allegedly disrobed and beaten."

"Pramod asked his son to urinate on my mouth. He did so. After that, I somehow managed to escape and returned home," the woman said in her statement.

The police said on Monday that the allegation that the accused had urinated on the victim's mouth could not be established. However, it was confirmed that she was beaten up.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said strict action would be taken against those involved in the assault on the woman.

Meanwhile, the Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation and CPI(M) took out protest marches in Patna and Arwal to protest against the incident.

CPI(ML) Liberation MLA, Sandeep Saurav, said, “The anti-Dalit mentality of a particular section of society and party is responsible for rising incidents of atrocities on women and Dalits in the country. Such incidents are highly condemnable.”

A delegation of CPI(M) leaders visited the victim and her family members.

The two Left parties are constituents of the 'Grand Alliance' government in Bihar.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)