Two dozen women attacked with blades at Dussehra fair in Bihar

Dussehra festivities turned into a nightmare for women in Bihar's Jehanabad district, where around two dozen women were attacked and injured using sharp blades by some antisocial elements at a Puja fair in town.

According to the police, the incident took place at the annual Dussehra fair put up at Thakurbari area of Jehanabad town late on Friday evening. "The fair was crowded as several families had come to take part in the festivities.

Some antisocial elements entered the fair and suddenly attacked women with sharp blades. Most of the injured women are in their 20s ad 30s and have sustained wounds in the shoulder, waist and areas below the waist," a local police officer said.

He said, "Even though some security personnel were stationed in the area, it was not enough to tackle the situation. Soon more cops were rushed in and the wounded and bleeding women were taken to the local hospital for first-aid and treatment."

The Jehanabad district administration said all Puja pandals and fairs were directed to install CCTV cameras to keep an eye on troublemakers. Jehanabad District Magistrate Alok Ranjan Ghosh said the police were trying to identify the culprits on the basis of the CCTV camera footage made available to them.

Eyewitnesses told reporters that this was not the first time the "blade gang" was active. On earlier occasions too, including Durga Puja and Dussehra the previous year, women were attacked with blades, and the district administration should have been more careful about it, the locals said.