An FIR has been registered against almost all adult male members of the Brahmin community in Harinagar village of Darbhanga district in Bihar under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Prevention of Atrocities Act 1989, following allegations of assault and abuse against a Dalit family.
More than a dozen people have been arrested so far. What has raised serious questions is that the FIR names 70 accused persons and also mentions around 100 to 150 unidentified individuals. Together, this roughly equals the entire adult male Brahmin population of the village. Many of those named are reportedly working in other states, such as Delhi and Mumbai, to earn a living and have not lived in the village for years.
The complaint was filed by Asarfi Paswan in connection with an incident that allegedly took place on January 31 in Harinagar village under the Kusheshwar Asthan police station area. The dispute is linked to pending wages owed to his son Vikram Paswan, who had worked for Hemkant Jha for nearly five years.
According to the complaint, a village-level settlement meeting was held on January 30 but ended in arguments and unrest. The next morning, Vikram Paswan was allegedly attacked while returning home after buying vegetables. Asarfi Paswan alleged that Hemkant Jha and others abused his son using caste-based slurs and chased him with sticks, iron rods, axes, bricks and stones with the intent to kill him.
He claimed that the attackers followed Vikram into his house, dragged him to the ground and assaulted him severely. The complaint further alleged that Phulkant Jha instigated others to kill Vikram, after which he was hit on the head with iron rods and lost consciousness. Asarfi’s other son, Rajgir Paswan and three other villagers who tried to intervene were also allegedly beaten and suffered head injuries.
Asarfi Paswan also alleged that his wife, Ramtara Devi and granddaughter Komal Kumari were assaulted. He claimed that his wife was beaten and her clothes were torn, while his granddaughter suffered a fractured hip. He further stated that gold and silver ornaments, cash worth two lakh rupees kept for his granddaughter’s marriage, household items and mobile phones were looted. Four motorcycles were allegedly damaged, and a nearby roadside restaurant was vandalised. The family was also allegedly threatened with eviction from the village.
Based on the complaint, FIR number 22 of 2026 was registered under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the SC ST Act. Kusheshwar Asthan police station in charge, Ankit Choudhary, said that the dispute was originally related to money and claimed that some anti-social elements were trying to give it a caste angle. He confirmed that 12 people have been arrested so far and said further action would depend on evidence collected during the investigation.
The case has drawn attention from the National Crime Investigation Bureau, a civil society organisation, which expressed surprise over the inclusion of the entire Brahmin community in the FIR. The organisation said that not a single Brahmin family in the village appeared to have been spared and pointed out that many of those named were not even residing in the village.
Meanwhile, tension continues in Harinagar village. Additional police force has been deployed and authorities say they are recording statements from both sides and examining videos and other evidence. Police officials have stated that no innocent person will be harassed and that further arrests will be made strictly on the basis of evidence.
