[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The 54-year-old man, a barber, was meted out the punishment by a panchayat for allegedly trespassing on the house of a fellow villager

A 54-year-old man in Azadpur village of Bihar’s Nalanda district, was allegedly forced to spit and then lick his saliva off the ground as punishment for entering the house of a close aide of the village sarpanch without knocking. The man – a barber by profession – was also beaten with slippers for “trespassing” on the house of his fellow villager.[/vc_column_text][vc_raw_html]JTNDYmxvY2txdW90ZSUyMGNsYXNzJTNEJTIydHdpdHRlci10d2VldCUyMiUyMGRhdGEtbGFuZyUzRCUyMmVuJTIyJTNFJTNDcCUyMGxhbmclM0QlMjJlbiUyMiUyMGRpciUzRCUyMmx0ciUyMiUzRU5hbGFuZGElM0ElMjBNYW4lMjBtYWRlJTIwdG8lMjBzcGl0JTIwJTI2YW1wJTNCJTIwbGljayUyMGFzJTIwcHVuaXNobWVudCUyMGZvciUyMGVudGVyaW5nJTIwU2FycGFuY2glMjYlMjMzOSUzQnMlMjBob3VzZSUyMHdpdGhvdXQlMjBrbm9ja2luZyUyQ3dhcyUyMGFsc28lMjBiZWF0ZW4lMjBieSUyMHNsaXBwZXJzJTIwYnklMjB3b21lbiUyMCUzQ2ElMjBocmVmJTNEJTIyaHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZ0d2l0dGVyLmNvbSUyRmhhc2h0YWclMkZCaWhhciUzRnNyYyUzRGhhc2glMjZhbXAlM0JyZWZfc3JjJTNEdHdzcmMlMjU1RXRmdyUyMiUzRSUyM0JpaGFyJTNDJTJGYSUzRSUyMCUzQ2ElMjBocmVmJTNEJTIyaHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZ0LmNvJTJGV1RNMzFhTE1WcSUyMiUzRXBpYy50d2l0dGVyLmNvbSUyRldUTTMxYUxNVnElM0MlMkZhJTNFJTNDJTJGcCUzRSUyNm1kYXNoJTNCJTIwQU5JJTIwJTI4JTQwQU5JJTI5JTIwJTNDYSUyMGhyZWYlM0QlMjJodHRwcyUzQSUyRiUyRnR3aXR0ZXIuY29tJTJGQU5JJTJGc3RhdHVzJTJGOTIwOTc5MzMyMTY3NjM5MDQxJTNGcmVmX3NyYyUzRHR3c3JjJTI1NUV0ZnclMjIlM0VPY3RvYmVyJTIwMTklMkMlMjAyMDE3JTNDJTJGYSUzRSUzQyUyRmJsb2NrcXVvdGUlM0UlMEElM0NzY3JpcHQlMjBhc3luYyUyMHNyYyUzRCUyMiUyRiUyRnBsYXRmb3JtLnR3aXR0ZXIuY29tJTJGd2lkZ2V0cy5qcyUyMiUyMGNoYXJzZXQlM0QlMjJ1dGYtOCUyMiUzRSUzQyUyRnNjcmlwdCUzRQ==[/vc_raw_html][vc_column_text]The Nalanda police on Friday lodged a case against eight persons, including the Azadpur mukhiya, in this regard though no arrest had been made in the case till the time of writing this report.[/vc_column_text][vc_raw_html]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[/vc_raw_html][vc_column_text]What is even more appalling about the incident is that the “punishment” was reportedly meted out to the barber – Mahesh Thakur – by the Azadpur village panchayat, which falls within Nalanda, the home district of Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar.

According to news agency ANI, Thakur had allegedly entered the house of one Surendra Yadav on Wednesday evening without knocking. Yadav is reportedly an influential farmer and a close aide of the village sarpanch Dayanand Manjhi. While Thakur said he had gone to Surendra’s house to ask for tobacco, Surendra told the panchayat that Thakur should have knocked before entering his house and accused him of “trespassing”. Surendra said when Thakur entered his house, there were only women at the house — something he wanted the panchayat to take stern view of.

As a “punishment” for his so-called crime, the panchayat collectively decided that Thakur must spit of the ground and then lick it. The panchayat – a local self-governance body for villages – also allegedly ordered for beating Thakur 25 times with footwear. The barber was then beaten five times before the panchayat claimed that it was “satisfied” with him having licked his own spit off the ground as punishment for trespassing.[/vc_column_text][vc_raw_html]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[/vc_raw_html][vc_column_text]Though the Nalanda district administration initially denied the incident, local circle officer and Noorsarai police were asked to inquire into the matter. SK Podika, superintendent of police, Nalanda said: “On prima facie investigation, we found Thakur had been subjected to humilitaion. We have lodged cases against eight people including Surendra Yadav, Dharmendra Yadav and mukhiya Rajendra Manjhi”.

Reacting to the incident, Bihar cabinet minister Nand Kishore Yadav told media persons in Patna: “I totally condemn this act and such incidents will not be tolerated in the state. We will take strict action against the culprits. The people of the state should trust BJP and its members. We will see to it that incidents like these never happen again.”[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]