Bihar Panchayat Orders Rape Survivor to Lick Sputum, Police Register FIR

A woman from Begusarai district in Bihar alleged that after accusing a local man of rape she was publicly humiliated by the village panchayat. The gathering forced her to hold her ears, kneel and lick sputum in front of villagers.

A video of the incident surfaced on social media weeks after it occurred on June 5, prompting widespread outrage. Bihar police then filed an FIR on July 31 and opened an investigation, while verifying the video's authenticity. The accused man remains absconding. The survivor’s husband, a labourer employed in Tamil Nadu, was informed of the incident by phone. Initial attempts to lodge a complaint with the local police were reportedly rejected until the video went viral.