Bihia stripping victim woman given a cheque of Rs 1 lakh

Kumar Rajiv Nayan

Ara : The esidents of Red Light area in Dafali locality near Bihia railway station under Bihia police station in Bhojpur district are feeling apprehensive in the wake of arson and stripping of a woman of scheduled caste community after the murder of a youth Bimlesh Sah on August 20, 2018. Several residents of Dafali locality have locked their houses and shifted to safer places. The mob went berserk after body of Bimlesh Sah of village Damodarpur was found on the railway track at Bihia railway station under Danapur Division of the ECR, Hajipur, near the red light area in Dafali locality on August 20 and resorted to arson and also disrobed a middleage  woman, thrashed her and paraded her on the street naked.

The red light area is located in Dafali locality of Bihia Town panchayat Ward No 13 under Bihia police station along the railway lines for the last 50 years where the dancers eke out their livelihood by singing and dancing. Police said that criminals from different parts of Bihar visit the area frequently and added in 1990, a girl from Nepal was sold here but was later rescued.

ASP (operation) Nitin Kumar said that the stripping victim ran a theatre “Halchal Gudia” in Dafali locality and police had conducted raid at her theatre in 2012 and added that two women had fled away from her house when police reached there.

Bhojpur SP Awakash Kumar said that three separate FIRs have been lodged with Bihia police station in connection with arson, murder and parading of woman naked. He said that Bimlesh Sah’s uncle lodged an FIR with Bihia police station against unknown person while the tortured woman filed an FIR against 15 named persons :  Kushal Kishor Yadav, Binod Kumar Kesari, Ranjeet Kumar Gupta, Rajbali Kumar, Satyanarayan Prasad alias Raushan Raj, Lakhan Kumar, Rajesh Sharma alias Imirati, Muni Sah, Mumtaz Ansari alias Taz Sandaur, Shubham Sharma, Amit Kumar Jaiswal, Vikki Singh alias Seepak, Gautam Kumar alias Ganesh Kumar, Sonu Kumar, Suraj Kumar alias Pappu Shubham and 60 unnamed persons for disrobing, thrashing and parading her naked on the street. Police also instituted an FIR against 7 named and 300 unnamed persons.

Bhojpur SP transferred the SHO, Karnamepur Police Outpost (OP) to Bihia police station in the same capacity after the former SHO, Bihia police station, Kuer Gupta was suspended. SI Jainendra Bharati posted at Ara Town police station has been made SHO, Karnamepur OP.

Bhojpur DM said that Bimlesh Sah alias Chhotu Sah of Damodarpur village under Shapur police station was to go to Patna to take admission at the Skill Development Centre but he was strangulated to death and body was thrown on  the rail track near the red light area. A medical team comprising three doctors performed the post-mortem and confirmed that Bimlesh was killed.

The DM said that during investigation it had come to light that Bimlesh Sah visited the red light area off and on and a dancer had tried to wash the area where the body was found to erase evidence and added that his undergarment and swab have been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory. The DM said that a cheque of Rs 1 lakh was given to the stripping victim on August 21, 2018, and added a cheque of another Rs 1 lakh will also be given to her after proceeding starts in the court. He added that damage to her properties will be compensated.

DIG, Shahabad range, Vinay Kumar, visited the area. He said that three incidents including stripping and parading of a woman on street followed one after another in quick succession and added that a police team has been formed to inquire into the matter and asked to submit charge- sheet at the earliest.

Meanwhile, the State Commission for Woman (SCW) on August 21  took suo motto cognizance of the stripping, thrashing and parading of a middleage woman on the street at Bihia after the recovery of a body of a youth from the rail track. SCW Chairperson Dilmani Mishra, in a communication to the DGP, Bihar, and SP, Bhojpur SP, sought to know the distance of Bihia police station from the incident site as the police reportedly reached the spot after an hour. She has asked for report within three days.

Bhojpur SP said that Bimlesh Sah’s younger sister Shobha Kumari died died due to shock as she heard about the death of her brother and their last rites were performed at Ganga ghat at Damodarpur village under Shahpur police station on late August 21 night amidst tight security in presence of their father Ganesh Sah and elder brother Kamlesh Sah who reached their native village the same night.