A 45-year-old woman, Sulekha Devi, was ruthlessly beaten to death allegedly over a land dispute in Bihar’s Khagaria district. The four people accused of tyrannizing her to her demise have been absconding since the incident. A case has been lodged against them, stated an official familiar with the matter.
The tragic incident occurred in the evening on Saturday when the victim went to her field in Mehandipur village. Sulekha was sowing paddy in the field when four bike-borne men attacked her, thrashed her and gouged her eyes out with a knife. Their brutality did not halt there as they chopped her tongue and mutilated her private parts, said the police quoting the eyewitness accounts.
The police added that she died on the spot and a case has been registered against five people under various sections of the Indian Penal Code in addition to charges under Section 302 for murder.
The victim’s family members have accused five of their neighbours, Shyam Kumar Singh, Fulungi Singh, Rajdev Singh and Mahindra Singh.
The official also mentioned that Sulekha Devi’s family was enmeshed in a long-standing property dispute with five of their neighbours. Despite the matter being under judicial consideration, the victim’s husband and brother–in–law were assassinated over the same issue nine years ago. The assailants accused of cruelly murdering her were also involved in killing the aforementioned family members and are currently out on bail.
Amilesh Kumar, the station house officer (SHO) said that the nature of the murder implied that the assailants had deep-rooted detestation against the woman. Rahul Kumar Singh, son of one of the accused, Mahendra Singh, has been detained for the inquest.
Consequently, the incident has triggered protests in the village. The residents blocked National Highway 31 and refused to cremate the body unless the accused were nabbed. However, following the police’s assurance of taking stringent action, they decided to withdraw the stir.
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