Woman, Daughter Tonsured For Resisting Rape Attempt In Bihar

A 48-year-old woman and her 19-year-old daughter were beaten, paraded and had their heads tonsured for reportedly resisting attempts to rape them at a village in Bihar’s Vaishali district, the Hindustan Times reported on Friday.

Three of the accused were arrested on Thursday after a video of the incident went viral on social media. According to unidentified officials, ward councillor Mohammad Khurshid and his supporters were involved in the incident. Police said the matter was being investigated.

“Around 6.30 pm, half a dozen armed men forcibly entered my house and attempted to rape me,” the 19-year-old victim told police. “When my mother tried to save me, they started beating us.” The accused then allegedly dragged the women outside their home, and held a panchayat.

The accused allegedly called a barber and asked him to shave the heads of both the mother and her daughter. They were then paraded around the village. The women accused Khurshid of harassing the 19-year-old for the past several months.

SP (Vaishali) Manavjeet Singh Dhillon said seven people have been named in the FIR. Some of them are absconding.

The state women’s commission has taken suo motu cognizance of the incident, and asked for a detailed report from the police headquarters.