The JD(U) MLA from Rupauli, Bima Bharti, has accused her husband of trying to kill their 10-year-old son by forcing him to drink country liquor laced with poison.

Doctors attending to the boy, Raja, in a private nursing home today said the boy’s condition has improved since last night when he was brought in. Avdhesh Mandal, the accused who is also the pramukh (chief) of Bhawanipur block, has refuted the charge levelled by his wife.

Purnea superintendent of police Amit Lodha said: “Bharti has registered an FIR with Bhawanipur police station, accusing Mandal of trying to poison their youngest son to death. We are probing into the allegation and are awaiting the medical report to ascertain if the boy was poisoned.”

Raja was brought to the hospital from Bhittha village under Bhawanipur police station, around 45km west of the district headquarters and 350km northeast of Patna, late last night with froth oozing out of his mouth. “Raja told me that Mandal took him to a lonely place in the village and forced him to eat a samosa and litti and drink mahua (country liquor). I suspect that my husband had mixed some poisonous substance with the liquor. A doctor in the village said my son had consumed something poisonous,” Bharti said. She added that Mandal did not stay in Bhittha and had come to the village to take part in some religious function.

Mandal said: “How can a man even think of poisoning his son? It is a conspiracy hatched by my wife to make the divorce case she had filed against me strong. A court has summoned me to appear before it in connection with the divorce case on November 5.”

He added: “Raja, along with his brothers Sanjay, Rajkumar, Dilkhush and Shankar, had country liquor at Dhanrasi Tola. I sent the four boys to the deputy inspector-general of police (Purnea range) Bachhu Singh Mena to get their testimony recorded. They were accompanied by a woman who had sold the liquor.”