A family in Bihar Sharif is grappling with unimaginable grief and an uncertain future after the brutal lynching of their sole breadwinner, Mohammad Athar Hussain. The 45-year-old cloth seller, a familiar face in Nawada and surrounding areas for nearly two decades, died on December 12 after six days of fighting for his life following a savage assault.
A Life of Hard Work Cut Short
For almost 20 years, Mohammad Athar Hussain had built a modest life by selling blankets, curtains, and children's wear door-to-door. A resident of Gagan Diwan village in Bihar Sharif district, he would travel 45 km to his sales route in Nawada. A year ago, he bought a second-hand bicycle, a sign of small progress. His family, including his wife Shabnam Parveen and their three children, had recently moved into a partially constructed two-room house, replacing their old mud-and-tile home. They had just begun furnishing it with items on EMI, a testament to Hussain's hopes for a better life.
His routine was shattered on the night of December 5. Hussain had finished his rounds near Bhattapur village when his bicycle got a puncture. He approached a group of men sitting around a fire to ask for directions to a repair shop. What followed was a nightmare.
The Horrific Assault and a Struggle for Life
According to accounts pieced together by his family from Hussain himself, the men, who were allegedly drunk, frisked him and took his money. When he resisted, the beating began. The mob, which Hussain later said included 20-25 men and minors, allegedly dragged him to a room, stripped him naked, and tied his limbs.
The torture was medieval in its cruelty. The family claims he was beaten with a burning log, subjected to electric shocks on his private parts, and had a heated iron rod inserted into his rectum. His ears were cut with pliers, his fingers crushed, and his head fractured. "Every time he lost consciousness, they sprinkled water to wake him up and continued the beating," said his brother, Mohammad Chand Hussain.
After the assault, which lasted from around 7 pm until 2 am, the accused allegedly placed jewellery on his body to frame him as a thief. Police found him in a critical condition around 2:30 am and shifted him to Roh Primary Health Centre before referring him to Nawada Sadar Hospital.
A Family's Quest for Justice and Survival
The family was unaware of the tragedy until December 6, when a video of a severely injured man circulated. Hussain's brother Chand recognized him. The family rushed to the hospital, where they found him barely recognizable.
Hussain succumbed to his injuries on the morning of December 12. An FIR has been lodged at Roh Police Station against 25 people, 10-15 of them unidentified. Police have arrested nine individuals from Bhatta village, all reportedly belonging to the Yadav community, and detained two more. Charges initially included unlawful assembly, rioting, and causing grievous hurt, with murder added after Hussain's death.
While Bihar Minority Welfare Minister Mohammad Zama Khan visited the family, offering Rs 20,000 and promising Rs 3 lakh from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund, the family's worries are profound. Hussain was the sole earner, making Rs 15,000-20,000 a month, and had taken multiple loans for his business and household expenses. His wife Shabnam now fears the EMIs and a bank loan of Rs 60,000 will drown them.
The family's demands are clear: the harshest punishment for the accused and long-term support. They hope the government will provide a job for Hussain's 18-year-old elder son, Mohammad Rakib Hussain, who recently completed his matriculation. "Nothing will bring my brother back, but without long-term support, his family will be forced onto the streets," said Chand Hussain. As political figures comment on the rise of mob lynching and assurances of communal harmony are given, a widow and her three children are left to pick up the pieces of a shattered dream.
