Patna:
When she won her constituency for the third time in a row in Bihar, Bima Bharti seemed to exemplify how women can hold their own in politics, even in a state that has yet to be associated with development and progress for women.
At a rally on November 24, addressing thousands, Bharti celebrated her win. "In this election, the public understood us, that Nitish Kumar's government will bring development," she said. Earlier with Lalu's Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Bharti switched to Nitish Kumar's JD(U) recently.
On Tuesday evening, she phoned the local police. When they arrived at her home, she lay barely conscious, with serious wounds on her arms and legs. Bharti says the family's driver and five other men assisted her husband in beating her with a stick for 48 hours. She did not elaborate on what provoked the assault.
Bharti's husband, Awdhesh Mandal, is a local politician and a member of the Purnia Zila Parishad. His criminal record is no secret - he's named in 24 different cases of murder, dacoity and extortion.
"I have been wrongly accused. She has been unwell for a while. I repeatedly asked her to get admitted to the hospital for treatment, but she didn't want to go," said Mandal.
The couple has been married since for more than a decade; they have three children.
Bharti says that she was hit by Mandal earlier this month too - on the 8th.