Teen Rape Victim Dies by Suicide in Bihar Amid Allegations of Police Inaction

Darbhanga: A 16-year-old girl in Darbhanga, Bihar, has died by suicide, found by her family hanging in her home on Thursday. Her death comes four months after she was allegedly gang-raped by 10 individuals, a crime reportedly video-recorded by the perpetrators who then used the footage to threaten and harass her. So far, only three arrests have been made in connection with the case.

Villagers suggest the teenager was driven to take her own life due to persistent taunts from the community and what they perceive as a lack of decisive action from the police. Bahera SHO Haridwar Sharma stated that an FSL (Forensic Science Laboratory) team has been summoned for investigation, and the circumstances surrounding the girl’s death are being probed. Her body has been sent for post-mortem examination.

The horrific incident is alleged to have occurred on March 15, during the Holi festivities. According to a First Information Report (FIR) lodged by the victim’s mother on March 25, her daughter had gone out for defecation late in the evening when she was allegedly lured by Durgesh Paswan, the son of the village chowkidar (watchman), to an area known as Dhobiyaahi Gachi.

The complaint details that eight other individuals – Sumit Paswan, Dilkhush Paswan, Sachit Paswan, Amit Paswan, Ankush Paswan, Sujit Paswan, Vishal Paswan, Raghav Paswan, and Ankit Paswan – were already present at the location, reportedly in an intoxicated state. All ten are accused of serially raping the minor.

Crucially, the perpetrators are said to have recorded the assault and subsequently used the video to intimidate the victim. “You will have to come when we call you, otherwise we will make the video viral,” the accused allegedly threatened through video calls. This constant threat initially prevented the family from reporting the crime, but the mother eventually sought police intervention after villagers encouraged her to come forward as discussions about the incident spread.

The victim’s mother recounted that when her daughter did not return home that evening, they began a frantic search, eventually finding her unconscious near Paswan Tola. After she regained consciousness at home, she recounted the harrowing ordeal. Initially, fear of social stigma kept her silent, but the growing awareness in the community prompted her to file a case. It is reported that the assailants abandoned the girl in an injured and unclothed state after she fainted during the assault.

An individual who found the girl on the night of March 15 described finding her “without clothes” and “scared” at around 9 pm. They provided her with some clothes and helped her return home. The family, with the girl’s father working outside the village, was reportedly terrified by the accused’s threats of severe consequences if the incident was reported. The FIR was ultimately filed 10 days after the crime.

The victim had also confided in her family that the accused had made a video and were using it to threaten her through video calls, reiterating their demand that she comply with their summons or face the video being made public.