Key Points
Mohammad Athar Hussain, a Muslim cloth vendor, died on 12 December 2025 after being brutally assaulted by a mob in Nawada district on December 5.
Police have arrested eight accused so far and registered murder charges under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
In a statement, Hussain said the mob attacked him after confirming his religious identity.
Bihar police arrested eight people in connection with the mob lynching of Mohammad Athar Hussain, a 40-year-old Muslim cloth vendor, in Bhattapar village, Nawada district. The incident took place on the evening of 5 December 2025. Husain succumbed to his injuries on 12 December 2025, after being transferred across multiple hospitals.
Hussain, a resident of Gagan Dewan locality in Nalanda district, earned his livelihood by selling clothes on a bicycle. For the past several years, he had been living with his in laws in Barui village in Nawada district and regularly travelled through nearby villages for work.
The case was registered on 6 December 2025 based on a complaint filed by Hussain’s wife, Shabnam Parveen. In her statement, she named ten residents of Bhattapar village and alleged that her husband was lynched after being falsely accused of theft. Following Hussain’s death, murder charges were added to the FIR.
The FIR invokes multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including provisions related to unlawful assembly and rioting, grievous hurt using dangerous means, abetment, common intention, and murder. Police officials said continuous raids are underway to arrest the remaining accused.
Family members and media reports describe the assault as exceptionally violent. Hussain’s brother, Mohammad Shakib, said the incident began after Hussain’s bicycle tyre got punctured near Bhattapar village around 7pm. While searching for a puncture repair shop, he approached a group of people sitting near a bonfire.
Shakib alleged that the group, numbering around 15-20, asked Hussain his name and occupation, and upon learning his identity, began beating him with burning pieces of wood. He said Hussain was dragged into a room, tied up, and beaten for several hours.
Before his death, Hussain recorded a statement on camera at Nawada Sadar Hospital on 7 December 2025. In the video, he alleged that the attackers stripped him to check his religious identity, burned him with a heated iron rod, beat him with bricks and sticks, cut his ear and fingers with pliers, stomped on his chest, and inserted an iron rod into his body. He said the assault continued for hours before he lost consciousness and was thrown onto the roadside around midnight. He named four people involved in the attack – Sonu Kumar, Ranjan Kumar, Sachin Kumar, and Shri Kumar – who were arrested after the incident.
Police reached the village around 2:30 am, after which Hussain was rescued in critical condition. He was first taken to the Primary Health Centre in Roh, then referred to Nawada Sadar Hospital, and later shifted to Pawapuri VIMS, where he died. A postmortem examination has been conducted.
Shabnam Parveen has alleged that her husband was beaten specifically after being asked about his religion. She said Hussain was the sole breadwinner of the family and is survived by three minor children.
“The way he was tortured was inhumane,” she said. She claimed that Hussain did not receive timely medical care and that police initially refused permission to move him to a private hospital. Police officials, however, said all treatment decisions were taken by doctors and that the victim was referred to higher centres as his condition worsened.
In a press note issued on 13 December 2025, Nawada Superintendent of Police Abhinav Dhiman said a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was constituted immediately after the incident. Four accused were arrested within 24 hours, followed by four more arrests during further investigation. All arrested persons have been remanded to judicial custody.
The case has been complicated by a counter complaint filed by one of the accused, Sikandar Yadav, who alleged that Hussain had committed burglary at his house on the same night. The complaint claims that villagers caught Hussain during the theft and that he injured one person while being apprehended.
Hussain’s family has rejected these allegations, calling them fabricated attempts to justify the assault and shield the perpetrators. Police have said they are investigating both the lynching and the theft claim.
Opposition leaders have criticised the State government over the incident. Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) spokesperson Ejaz Ahmed accused the administration of failing to prevent mob violence and said incidents of lynching based on religion and caste continue despite official claims of maintaining law and order.
The arrests come amid wider concerns about mob violence across the country. A recent case, where a lynching accused was garlanded after being let out on bail, highlights the prevalence of such incidents, the public’s attitude towards such crimes, and the state’s inability or refusal to address growing religious intolerance in the country.
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