A woman was beaten up and paraded naked on the streets of Bihar's Bhojpur district on Monday by a mob that accused her of murder. Sixteen people including an RJD activist have been arrested while eight policemen have been suspended, news agency PTI reports, quoting officials.
Vimalesh Sah, 19, had been missing since Sunday. His body was found on Monday morning near railway tracks, said police officer Avakash Kumar.
After the teen's body was found, people of his village Damodarpur went on the rampage at a nearby area, suspecting he had been strangled by those living in a red-light area.
They set fire to shops and thrashed residents and shop owners.
They dragged out a woman from one of the buildings, ripped off her clothes and paraded her naked while kicking and slapping her, the police said.
The woman screamed for help and wept but the blows didn't stop. She was later taken to a police station and is now in hospital, say officials.
The mob also threw stones at a passing train. The police had to fire in the air to disperse the crowd. An officer said the villagers also fired back.
The area remains tense and a large number of policemen have been sent there to keep the situation under control.
The savage assault on the woman in Bhojpur, a district that has seen a spurt in crime in recent weeks, has provoked anger and political allegations.
Tejashwi Yadav, leader of the opposition RJD, tweeted: "In Bihar a woman is allegedly stripped, thrashed and paraded naked by a mob in a lawless state. I'm speechless and numb to see the heart wrenching videos of that woman. Nitish Ji, with folded hands I request you to fix law and order and ensure women safety and security. Please."
(With inputs from PTI)
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