A doctor in Bihar’s Gaya district was attacked Tuesday for allegedly treating the mother of a gang rape survivor. The incident has sparked a political row in the state, with the Opposition claiming that the situation in the state was “worse than Taliban”.
According to the rape survivor’s family, the victim, Dr Jitendra Yadav, was allegedly dragged out of her house, tied to a tree, and beaten with iron rods and sticks until his body was covered in blood.
The doctor had come to their house to treat her, the survivor’s mother alleged. “In 2021, some people raped my daughter. We named all the accused and filed a case at Fatehpur police station. On May 30, we gave our testimony in court, and one person has been arrested while the others are absconding. Angered by this, their families attacked us,” the rape survivor’s mother alleged.
She further said: “As soon as he started administering saline water, around five women and three men barged into our house. They first beat my family, including my elderly mother and daughter, and then, under the misconception that the doctor was there to support us, dragged him out, tied him to a tree, and beat him mercilessly”.
According to sources, the survivor’s minor niece ran to the main road for help and alerted a police van patrolling the area. However, by the time they came, the assailants had already fled, sources claimed.
Waziraganj Sub-divisional Police Officer Sunil Kumar Pandey, however, denied that the rape allegations had anything to do with the attack, saying that it was “due to earlier land disputes”, adding that the doctor was being treated at a local hospital and was “safe and recovering”.
“Based on Jitendra’s statement, a case of attempt to murder has been registered against 10 named individuals, and efforts are underway to apprehend the accused,” the SDPO said, adding that three people had been arrested.
Meanwhile, a video of the incident has sparked a political row in the state. In the video, a bloodied and bruised man is tied to a tree, with a girl’s voice saying in the background: “Maar ke sab nikal gaya, sir. Sab khada hoke bas muh dekhta hai sir, sharam bhi nahi lagta hai doctar sahab ke marte hain. (They beat him and fled, sir. Everyone just stood there watching, they aren’t even ashamed while beating doctor sahab)”
Sharing the video on X, Bihar Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav said: “The situation in Bihar is worse than the Taliban. In Gaya district, a doctor who went to treat a rape survivor’s mother was tied to a tree and beaten by the accused until he was drenched in blood.”
He went on to say: “The corrupt NDA government of 20 years has completely failed to stop crime, arrest criminals, or deliver justice, allowing people to take the law into their own hands. Bihar is in a state of anarchy. The Chief Minister is unconscious, the government is intoxicated, officials and ministers are busy looting the treasury, and governance has collapsed”.
