A 28-year-old mother of four was brutally gang-raped by five men in her home in Bihar, India, on June 11, sparking a national outcry and comparisons to the devastating 2012 Delhi assault. The case gained significant attention after a bullet casing dropped from the victim's vagina days later, along with other objects including a stone.
Attack and Aftermath
On the night of the attack, the woman was in her outside toilet when the men forced their way in. She told BBC Hindi: “They stripped me, gagged me, and tied my hands. When I tried to fight back, they slashed my chest with a blade and raped me.” Her husband initially mistook her cries for a stray cat but later found her in a shocking condition after being let out by a neighbor.
The husband, an e-rickshaw driver, carried her to a police station about 3km away but was turned away. He said police refused to file a complaint and advised him to take her to a doctor. A nearby clinic also turned them away, claiming it did not handle emergencies and had no doctor on duty. They eventually received first aid at a government community health centre before being referred to a district hospital.
Medical Negligence and Discovery
The Civil Surgeon of Begusarai claimed they were not aware of the gang rape until after conducting the medical examination. The victim was discharged, returned after losing consciousness, and was discharged again. A week after the attack, a bullet casing dropped from her vagina. Other objects, including a stone, were later removed. This echoes the 2012 Delhi assault, where victim Jyoti Singh was abused with objects.
Police Response and Arrests
Following the attack, police station head Rajiv Kumar was suspended for "negligence, apathy, and insensitivity," Begusarai police said. An FIR was registered on June 13. Begusarai superintendent of police Maneesh told the BBC: “There are three named and two unidentified accused in this case. We have arrested two of them.”
National Outcry and Campaigner Concerns
Anti-rape campaigner Yogita Bhayana warned that society has become desensitised to such crimes. She told the BBC: “Fear has not been installed in society,” adding that too many people in India do not realise that rape can carry the death penalty. The case has drawn comparisons to the 2012 Nirbhaya case, which involved the gang rape and murder of a 22-year-old woman on a moving bus, sparking massive protests across New Delhi.
