Sixteen persons were arrested in Ara on Tuesday where a woman was paraded naked by a mob following the recovery of the body of a teenager near her house.
The deceased Bimlesh Shah (16) had gone to Bihiya near Ara in Bihar's Bhojpur district to take admission for Class 11. However, his body was found near the railway track on Monday.
Infuriated by the incident, an unruly mob took to streets and burned shop and kiosks before attacking the woman, whom the locals felt was responsible for the death.
Although the death was initially suspected to be an accident, the post-mortem report said he was killed with a fracture on the neck bone. There were injuries to his private parts as well.
Bimlesh's 13-year-old sister Shobha died of a heart-attack upon hearing about his death. The situation then turned more volatile. Additional police reinforcement was rushed to the area when the mob began attacking trains passing through Ara.
"We have suspended eight cops, including the Station House Officer of Bihiya police station Kunwar Prasad Gupta. Efforts are on to identify all those who were part of the mob which thrashed the woman and forced her to parade naked. Till now, 16 persons have been arrested in this case," said Avakash Kumar, Bhojpur SP, who is camping at Bihiya, some 25 kms from Ara.
The woman, said to be a Dalit, is recuperating at a local hospital. She is believed to be part of an orchestra group which was supposed to have also been involved in flesh trade.
Former deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav was quick to launch an offensive against Nitish.
"In Bihar, a woman is allegedly stripped, thrashed & paraded naked by a mob in a lawless State. I am speechless & numb to see the heart wrenching videos of that woman. Nitish ji, with folded holds, I request you to fix law and order & ensure women safety and security. Pls.” tweeted Tejashwi.