PATNA: A 40-year-old man was lynched to death by a mob after ascertaining his religious identity in Bihar’s Nawada district, raising questions over the law-and-order situation prevailing in the state under the leadership of new Home Minister Samrat Chaudhary.

The victim, Mohammad Athar Hussain, died on Friday night while undergoing treatment for injuries sustained during the mob attack on December 5 under Roh police station limits in Nawada district. He was a native of Gagan Dih village under Laheri police station limits in Nalanda district.

Before his death, Hussain alleged that he was targeted because of his religious identity. He was admitted to Biharsharif Sadar Hospital after the incident and succumbed to his injuries late Friday night. His relatives said Hussain used to sell clothes in rural areas of neighbouring Nawada district.

Recounting his trauma, Hussain said that a group of four to five men forcibly stopped him, checked his pockets, dragged him into a room and made him reveal his religious identity. “They beat me with iron rods, broke my fingers and trampled on my chest,” he said.

Hussain said that more attackers later joined them. “They poured petrol on my body and attempted to set me afire. Before that, the attackers used pliers to crush my feet, fingers and ears, and struck me with bricks. My repeated pleas to spare me fell on deaf ears,” he said in a video.

Hussain used to sell clothes in Roh and surrounding areas of Nawada to support his family.