BHOPAL: A horrific incident of barbarism with a tribal woman by her father and cousins in Alirajpur district has brought shame to Madhya Pradesh. Videos of the savagery with the 19-year-old Bheel woman in full public glare have gone viral on social media.The cruelty was meted out to her on June 28 as a ‘punishment’ as the woman, married three months ago, had run away from the house of her in-laws in Bhurchhevdi village to her maternal uncle’s house in Ambi village.
She took the step as she was angry over her husband not taking her along while going to Gujarat for work.
Furious after the woman’s in-laws complained to them, her father and three cousins dragged her out of the house by her hair in Futtalab village and started thrashing her with wooden sticks. Not yet satisfied, they then hanged her from a tree and started swinging her in all directions while raining sticks on her.
As the woman writhed in pain, smiling onlookers, including women and children, and some of her tormentors captured the savage act live on their mobile phones.As the visuals of the ghastly act with the young woman went viral on Thursday, local police swung into action and traced the victim.
“On her complaint, a case was registered against her father Kel Singh and three other relatives. The accused have been arrested and booked under Sections 355, 294, 323, 506 and 34 of IPC,” sub-divisional officer police (Jobat-Alirajpur) Dilip Bhilwal said. Tribal ‘justice’ in the form of cruelty to women and girls, often for eloping with men, is common in districts like Dhar, Jhabua and Alirajpur.