Brutal mob attack claims life of Bihar cloth vendor

A 50-year-old cloth vendor who was brutally assaulted by a mob in Bihar’s Nalanda district succumbed to his injuries late December 12 night, days after the attack, officials said.

Mohammad Athar Hussain, a resident of Gagan Diwan village who sold clothes from a bicycle, died at Pawapuri VIMS hospital, where he had been battling for life since December 5, when he was allegedly attacked by a group of villagers in Bhattapar under Roh police station limits. Police have arrested six adults and detained two minors so far; several others remain at large.

A group of villagers had mutilated his ears with pliers, fractured limbs and body branded with a heated iron rod.

According to his brother Mohammad Shakib Alam, Hussain was returning home when his bicycle broke down near Bhattapar village, forcing him to look for a puncture repair shop. “When he asked a group of people for directions, they questioned him about his name and profession and then began assaulting him,” said Alam.

In a video recorded before his death, Hussain described being pulled off his bicycle, robbed of ₹18,000 and surrounded by a mob of 15–20 people. He alleged that his hands and feet were tied, after which he was locked inside a room and beaten mercilessly with bricks and iron rods.

“They broke my fingers and my hand. They cut my ears and fingertips with pliers,” Hussain said, adding that he was stripped and branded with a heated iron rod that peeled off his skin. “One man climbed on my chest and throttled me. Blood started coming out of my mouth. My entire body was raw.”

Hussain’s wife, Shabnam Parveen, in her complaint filed on December 6, named 10 residents of Bhattapar village, while identifying another 10 as unknown assailants. “Villagers caught my husband on false theft charges, tied him up, beat him brutally, branded him with a hot rod, broke his hand and cut his ear with pliers,” the FIR stated. She also alleged that villagers abused and threatened her and her brothers-in-law when they reached the village.

Based on the complaint, police registered a case invoking multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita related to unlawful assembly, rioting, grievous hurt, use of dangerous weapons and common intention. Murder charges were added after Hussain died.

Meanwhile, one of the accused, Sikandar Yadav, filed a counter-complaint accusing Hussain of attempting a burglary the same night. The complaint claimed that gold and silver ornaments and utensils were stolen and that villagers caught Hussain with some recovered items. Police said the allegation is under investigation.

A police source said an emergency call to 112 around 2.30 am prompted Roh police to reach Bhattapar and rescue Hussain in a critical condition. He was initially taken to the Roh primary health centre, then referred to Nawada Sadar Hospital and later shifted to Pawapuri VIMS, where he died despite treatment. A post-mortem examination has been conducted.

Nawada Superintendent of Police Abhinav Dhiman said a special team arrested four suspects within 24 hours of the incident, followed by four more on December 13. “Eight people have been arrested or detained so far. Raids are on to trace the remaining accused,” he said.