A mentally disabled man was allegedly tied to a tree and brutally assaulted in Shahpur village under the Nauhatta police station area of Saharsa district, Bihar, late on August 31, 2026, according to his family.
The man, identified as Hojefa, son of Anjar Ahmed and a resident of Fekrahi Ward No. 8, was allegedly tied by his hands and feet to a tree near the house of Shivnandan Pasi, the family said.
According to his family, Hojefa has a mental disability and they were preparing to take him to Ranchi for psychiatric treatment. The family said he sometimes wanders out of the house at night. On the night of the incident, he allegedly walked around 2.5 kilometres to Shahpur village, prompting his family to search for him through the night.
By morning, the family learned that Hojefa had allegedly been tied to a tree. They alleged that he was beaten and that an attempt was made to lynch him. The family further alleged that his private parts were branded with a hot iron rod during the assault.
The family informed the police, following which Hojefa was taken to hospital. When his condition worsened at Nauhatta Government Hospital, he was referred to Sadar Hospital in Saharsa. The family later took him to Biratnagar, Nepal, for further treatment, where he remains under medical care, according to relatives.
The family also alleged that when they approached Nauhatta police station to lodge a complaint, the station house officer initially refused to register a case. They subsequently approached the DIG of Kosi Range and the Superintendent of Police, Saharsa, seeking action. According to the family, the officials assured them that a case would be registered.
The family further alleged that the station house officer subsequently warned them, saying, “You’ll go to the DIG and SP against me? I’ll frame everyone in false cases and slap the Harijan Act [a reference to the SC/ST Act] on them.”
The family alleges that a person from the victim’s side was subsequently called to the police station, where his original application was altered. They claim that a case was then registered under stringent sections against several villagers who had allegedly demanded justice and against individuals who raised the matter on social media.
According to the family, around 17–18 villagers have been named as accused in the FIR.
The family’s central allegation is that the original application submitted by the concerned individual did not name any other villager. They claim that the application merely stated that Hojefa had entered a prayer room and sat on the chair of Guru Maharaj. According to the family, his wife saw him there, following which relatives apprehended him and handed him over to the police.
The family alleges that the application was subsequently altered to include allegations against several villagers. They further state that the police recorded the victim’s family’s application on September 2, 2026.
If the allegations of assault, unlawful confinement and alteration of the complaint are established, the matter could raise serious questions regarding the treatment of a vulnerable person and the subsequent handling of the complaint by the police.
The allegations could not be independently verified at the time of publication. The police version and the contents of the FIR should be included before publication, particularly regarding the alleged assault, the refusal to register the initial complaint, the alleged alteration of the application and the sections invoked against the villagers.
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