Elopement leads to lynching in Bihar

The police said prima facie it appears to be a fallout of a love affair Mahto had with a married woman of the village.

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Patna: A 25-year-old man was beaten and burnt to death in Bihar's Sitamarhi district for eloping with the daughter-in-law of an influential man of the area, marrying her and then returning to the same village to live together, police said on Monday. Sharavan Mahto was dragged out from his house in Oralhiya village by a group of men on Sunday. "He was first beaten up badly. When he fell down unconscious, almost half dead, he was taken to a nearby field, doused with petrol and set ablaze," Sahiyara police station officer in-charge Sanjeev Kumar said. The police said prima facie it appears to be a fallout of a love affair Mahto had with a married woman of the village. A few months ago Mahto eloped with a married woman belonging to a well known household in the village. The couple returned after solemnising their marriage. They started living together, Kumar said. It angered the woman's family. A case of kidnapping was also lodged against Mahto by the family members, who threatened him with dire consequences, the police said. When Mahto's family informed the police about Sunday's attack, they reached the field and recovered his half burnt body and sent it for an autopsy. According to Kumar, an FIR has been lodged against 14 accused named in the attack on the basis of statements given by Mahto's family. However, no arrest has been made yet. There is tension in the village and additional forces have been deployed there.