A woman's in-laws allegedly attacked her and her relative on the Bikramganj sub-divisional court premises in Rohtas on Wednesday.

The incident occurred around 11am as Sunita Devi and her mother came out of the courtroom after getting their statements recorded in connection with a dowry harassment case.

Neither security personnel nor the pairvikars (litigants) came to their rescue. The attackers were stated to be in-laws of Sunita against whom she had lodged a dowry harassment case about five years ago.

"While people remained mute spectators, security personnel turned a blind eye to the incident," lamented Sunita's 12-year-old son.

The attack on two women, said to be residents of Karakat in Rohtas, has raised fingers over the security arrangements in the court. Sunita was later admitted to a hospital and released after first-aid. However, her mother's condition is stated to be serious.

Sunita identified the attackers as her husband Neeraj Singh and his relatives.

Bikramganj police station house officer Mohammad Akram said an FIR was lodged against eight persons.

Investigations revealed that Sunita was being pressured by her in-laws to sign a divorce petition, which she refused. "This is one of the reasons behind the incident," an officer posted at Bikramganj police station, around 160km south of Patna, said.

Sunita, a mother of three, had lodged a complaint case in the court about five years ago alleging that she was being harassed for dowry.