Patna: A 40-year-old man was allegedly lynched by a mob in Bihar’s Nawada district after his religious identity was established, triggering renewed scrutiny of the state’s law-and-order situation under the new Home Minister, Samrat Chaudhary.
The victim, Mohammad Athar Hussain, died on Friday night while undergoing treatment for injuries he sustained in the attack on December 5 within the jurisdiction of Roh police station. He was a resident of Gagan Dih village under Laheri police station limits in Nalanda district.
According to accounts given before his death, Hussain maintained that the assault was motivated by his religious identity. After the incident, he was admitted to Biharsharif Sadar Hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries. Family members said he earned his livelihood by selling clothes in rural pockets of neighbouring Nawada district.
In a statement recounting the incident, Hussain said a group of four to five men stopped him, searched his pockets, dragged him into a room and forced him to disclose his religion. He claimed he was beaten with iron rods, suffered broken fingers and was repeatedly trampled on the chest, TNIE reported.
He further stated that more people later joined the attackers, who allegedly poured petrol on him and tried to set him on fire. He also alleged that pliers were used to crush his feet, fingers and ears, and that he was struck with bricks, adding that his pleas for mercy were ignored. These claims were recorded in a video message.
Relatives said Hussain had been selling clothes in Roh and nearby areas for nearly two decades to support his family. His wife, Shabnam Parveen, told reporters that he was the sole breadwinner and had never faced such hostility in the past, adding that the reasons behind the attack needed to be investigated by the police.
Parveen filed a complaint naming 10 accused and another 15 unidentified persons. Police confirmed that four suspects — Sonu Kumar, Ranjan Kumar, Sachin Kumar and Shri Kumar — have been arrested so far. Roh police station SHO Ranjan Kumar said raids were continuing to apprehend the remaining accused.
The SHO also said the FIR was registered immediately after the incident and that the case was being investigated thoroughly, assuring the family that strict action would be taken against those responsible.
Officials said the postmortem was conducted under a magistrate’s supervision, and a forensic team inspected the crime scene to collect evidence.
The killing is being seen as part of a troubling pattern in Nawada district, which has reported several mob-lynching incidents in 2025, including the deaths of two youths in February and an attack on an elderly couple in August linked to witchcraft allegations.