Aurangabad/ Patna: Four minor girls from the Mahadalit community were found dead in a village under the Haspura police station area of Aurangabad, Bihar, in what authorities believe may have been a coordinated suicide attempt involving five girls. One of the girls survived and is undergoing treatment, bringing the incident to light after families allegedly cremated the bodies without informing the police.
The incident is said to have occurred on Thursday but emerged publicly late on Saturday evening. According to preliminary accounts, five girls were together near a stream and a pond close to the village before moving into nearby fields. One girl managed to return home and alert her family, who took her for medical treatment. The remaining four reportedly died in a wheat field.
Villagers have remained largely silent since the deaths, with many declining to speak openly. Locals privately acknowledge the incident, but fear of police action is said to have prompted families to conduct last rites at a single location before authorities were notified.
A watchman was initially sent to the village after a tip-off, but officials said no clear information was obtained at the time. It later emerged that the watchman had visited on Thursday, when the bodies were reportedly still present.
Daudnagar sub-divisional police officer Ashok Kumar Das said police were examining the circumstances but cautioned against drawing conclusions. “There is information that five girls consumed poison, but it is still unclear when, why, or under what circumstances,” he said. “Most of the men are absent from the village, and the women are not disclosing details. We are investigating and will be able to say more once facts are confirmed.”
The motive remains unknown. Investigators are seeking to determine whether the girls were under pressure and why families and villagers may have attempted to suppress the incident. The case has revived memories of earlier group suicides in the district, including a 2022 incident in which five girls died after a reported pact, and a 2023 case involving four girls, one of whom died.
Police said further forensic and witness examinations are underway.
(If you are having suicidal thoughts, or are worried about a friend or need emotional support, someone is always there to listen. Call Sneha Foundation – 04424640050, Tele Manas – 14416 (available 24×7) or Call, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences’ helpline – 02225521111, which is available Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 10 pm.)
