15 arrested, 8 cops suspended after woman beaten and paraded naked in Bihar (Lead)

Patna : A day after a woman was thrashed and paraded naked by a mob in Bihar's Bihiya town in Bhojpur district, the state police arrested 15 suspects and suspended eight of their own men, but denied that it was a case of mob lynching.

The Opposition demanded resignation of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for the collapse of law and order and imposition of the President's rule in the state.

The National Commission for Women has taken cognizance of the incident and directed the Bihar police chief to submit a report.

S.K. Singhal, Additional Director General (police headquarters), said 15 persons have been arrested on the basis of video footage of the incident. "More arrest will follow," he added.

"It was not a case of mob lynching at all. The police have been investigating it. None of the culprits would be spared," Singhal said.

The ADG said the incident took place after the body of a youth was found on railway track in Bihiya town in Bhojpur district, about 90 km from Patna, on Monday.

Bhojpur superintendent of police Avakash Kumar has suspended the eight police officials, including two police station officers, on charge of negligence of duty.

"The youth was strangled to death as per the post-mortem report," he said.

The local police said soon after the body of 19-year-old Bimlesh, who had been reported missing since Sunday, was found on the railway track on Monday morning, a mob from his village first staged a protest and then attacked a few people living in the adjoining red light area.

Some people blamed a Dalit woman of a nearby red light locality for the death, police sources said.

They said the mob rushed to her house and dragged her to the street. She was beaten up and paraded naked, they said.

A police team that reached the spot hours later was attacked by the mob. The police had to open fire to save the woman. Later she was admitted to a local hospital, police sources said.