Special Correspondent: A 40-year-old Muslim woman has died after she was brutally assaulted and forced to drink urine, allegedly by the family of a village head (Pradhan) in Bihar’s Madhubani district. The victim, identified as Roshan Khatoon, succumbed to her injuries on Sunday night while undergoing treatment in Patna. According to reports, the incident occurred on February 25, when Khatoon went to the residence of village Pradhan Kumari Devi to address a land dispute. What followed was a sustained and vicious attack that has sparked widespread outrage, particularly after a video of the assault went viral on social media.
Witnesses stated that Khatoon was pinned down, kicked, and punched by a crowd led by the Pradhan’s husband and son. She was then tied to a pole on the Pradhan’s instructions and beaten further. The assault took a horrific turn when Khatoon, who was observing the holy month of Ramadan and fasting, asked her tormentors for water. “She was tied to the pole at the direction of Pradhan and then was assaulted brutally. Her hand was untied only after the police reached there. When she was being assaulted, she was fasting. When she asked for water, someone said to give her urine mixed with wine,” a local resident, Mohammed Mustaqeem, told reporters.
An eyewitness described the scene in chilling detail. “When the Pradhan hit her with a big bamboo stick, she fell on the ground. Then, they removed her dupatta and tied her to the pole. When I told them not to assault her, they threatened to beat me up as well,” the witness said. The eyewitness further recounted the moment Khatoon was forced to drink the mixture. “She asked for water. I went to bring water. When I came back with water, I saw they gave her urine. She washed her face and drank that urine.”
Local residents confirmed that anyone who attempted to intervene was also assaulted. The victim was bleeding from her ear and mouth. Her family stated that she was mentally stable, memorized the Holy Quran, and was punctual in her prayers. She is survived by three children. Questions have been raised regarding the initial police response. Despite being taken to the police station, Khatoon was reportedly released without a medical examination and was made to sign a Personal Recognizance (PR) Bond, a move that has become a source of controversy. Villagers allege that this one-sided action by the police exacerbated the situation.
“There was a dispute over land. She had gone to the Pradhan to resolve the issue. But Pradhan asked her family members to assault her. It is wrong to say that the Pradhan is wrongly implicated in the case. The Pradhan had asked to assault her,” a female resident said. Another local woman highlighted the scale of the violence. “We cannot name such a large number of people who are involved in the assault. Everyone who was present there was assaulting her with whatever they got in their hand. They were family members and relatives of the Pradhan.”