Woman’s tongue and lips chopped

Patna: A 65-year-old widow had not imagined that preventing two youths from plucking jackfruits from a tree on her agriculture land would cost her so dearly.

Somaria Devi’s tongue and lips were chopped off by two youths when she raised an alarm and stopped them from plucking jackfruits from a tree on her land at Kalyanpur village under the jurisdiction of Bhore police station in Gopalganj district in the wee hours of Sunday.

The attackers didn’t stop there. They assaulted her with a bamboo stick causing injuries to her back.

A profusely bleeding Somaria was rushed to the primary health centre at Bhore in the morning from where she was referred to the Gopalganj sadar hospital.

As the victim’s condition worsened, the doctors at the Gopalganj sadar hospital referred her to a Gorakhpur-based hospital for better treatment.

On Wednesday, she returned from Gorakhpur but was not in a condition to utter any word.

The station house officer (SHO) of Bhore police station, Ajit Kumar Singh, said the two offenders have been identified as Sanjay Malik and Munna Malik, both residents of Sripur village under the jurisdiction of Phularia police station in Gopalganj district. The duo have been booked on the charges of theft and causing injuries to the widow.

“The woman shouted for help as soon as she noticed the youths plucking jackfruits from her tree around 1.30am on Sunday. She was sleeping alone at her outhouse when the incident occurred,” the SHO told The Telegraph over phone on Wednesday.

An FIR was lodged on the statement of the victim’s son Subhash Singh. Subhash said initially her mother was sent to Kateya police station from where she was taken to Bhore police station to get an FIR lodged. “The police officers of the two police station fought over jurisdiction,” he added.

SHO Singh said a sub-inspector of police Manish Kumar has been assigned to investigate the case and arrest the culprits who were stated to be absconding after the incident, which has become the talk of the town.

“It’s barbaric. The offenders will be brought to book at the earliest. The police will ensure that justice is done to the victim,” said Gopalganj superintendent of police Rasheed Zaman. Earlier, Gopalganj district magistrate Animesh Kumar Parashar has ordered a detailed investigation into the matter.

Parashar told local reporters that he wouldn’t spare the doctors for their negligence of duty. “They should have provided medical assistance to her at the hospital here. There was no need to shift her to Gorakhpur. Disciplinary action will be taken against the erring doctors on the basis of the report,” he added.

Courtesy: The Telegraph