At least 16 members of a family in Daudnagar area of Vaishali district in Bihar were attacked with acid on Wednesday for trying to stop some youths from allegedly molesting a woman, IANS reported. At least eight of them were seriously injured.

“Family members of Nand Kishore Bhagat had a tiff with some people on Tuesday [over the attempted molestation],” senior police official Raghav Dyal said. “Members from both the groups came to blows. Somehow peace was restored.”

However, on Wednesday morning, a mob entered Bhagat’s house forcibly and attacked the family with acid. “The entire family was attacked with acid. Eight members, including two women, have been seriously injured and have been admitted to a government hospital in Hajipur,” Dyal said. As many as 20 people attacked the family with acid, he said.

But Manoj Bhagat, one of the victims of the attack, had a different story to tell. He alleged that five people thrashed his elder brother at a tea stall in Daudnagar area. “When we heard the noise, we went there to rescue my brother but the people started beating us too,” he added. “They used wooden sticks and other objects. When we started running away, they threw acid on us. We all got burnt including three women.”

The police have arrested five people in connection with the incident.

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