BHOPAL: A 16-year-old boy was allegedly assaulted, face blackened and then paraded naked in public for around 1.5 km in Madhya Pradesh's Ujjain on Thursday, for eloping with a minor girl three months back.
The police registered a case under relevant BNS sections after the video of the incident went viral, and took four accused into custody.
According to sources, the family members of the girl, with whom he had eloped three months back, assaulted him in Ujjain’s Panwasa area.
The two had eloped three months earlier, but returned in less than three weeks, the boy said. He claimed that he was sent to jail for over a month while the girl was sent to a correctional facility.
After his mother was hospitalised in Dewas, he returned to Ujjain to arrange money for her treatment. The teenager said, "The girl’s relatives spotted me and forcibly took me in an MUV and then locked me in a room for around an hour, where they beat me mercilessly. They subsequently stripped me, blackened my face and first dragged me on pebbles, before parading me naked for around 1.5 km in public view. The police have come to know about the matter and promised me stern action against the accused. If action is not taken against them, I’ll be forced to die by suicide.”
On Friday, the teenager approached the Ujjain district police control room with his physically challenged mother and demanded the sternest possible action against the accused.
According to additional SP (Ujjain) Alok Sharma, "A case was registered at Panwasa police station on Thursday in connection with the incident under relevant sections of BNS and the four accused have been taken into custody. Preventive action in the form of a bound over process is also being initiated."