A mob in Bihar's Araria caught a man on suspicion of bike theft and subjected him to brutal torture by allegedly stuffing red chilli power into his rectum.
The video of the incident went viral on social media, following the Araria Police took cognisance of the matter and arrested one Mohammed Sifat for his involvement in the mob's supposed act of justice.
Issuing a statement about the same, Araria Police said, "Yesterday, information was received about a video of an inhuman act related to the Araria district going viral on social media. In the said video, a young man was being tied with a rope by some people on the charge of theft and an inhuman act of putting some substance like chilli in his private parts was being done."
It said that the video was verified and an FIR was registered against the accused involved in the inhuman act under the Araria Police Station.
"Further action is being taken for the arrest of other accused involved in the said incident by verifying them," the statement added.
Sifat is a resident of the Islamnagar area which comes under the Araria town police station limits. The bike, allegedly stolen from outside Sadar Hospital on Sunday, belonged to Sifat, an Indian Express report said.
The suspected thief was allegedly subjected to public punishment by Sifat and his associates, who pulled his pants down after tying his hands with a rope.
The viral video shows the victim bending forward with his hands tied to the back, while a man -- with a chilli powder packet in his hand -- yells at him to bend further down.
The man is then seen putting the chilli powder-like substance into the victim's rectum. Another man is then seen using a pencil to forcefully stuff the powder into the suspected thief's anus.
Meanwhile, Bihar's main opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) hit out at the Nitish Kumar-led government and said that there is "Taliban rule" in the state.
RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad took to the microblogging site X and wrote in Hindi, "Taliban rule in Bihar! BJP/NDA is happily in power in Bihar, hence the casteist media is silent. We and our party talk about the rights and share of Dalits, backward and minorities, hence the casteists always see our rule as jungle raj."
Meanwhile, BJP state vice president Santosh Pathak condemned the incident appreciated the police's "fast" action of arresting the accused.
