JAGTIAL: The police rescued an 18-year-old girl, whose head was to be tonsured, to be followed by a bath with pig blood, branding of tongue by hot needle and then to be taken out in a procession while being beaten up by the public with footwear in Bheemreddy Gudem village of Sarangapur mandal in Jagtial district.
This ritual was to be carried out to ‘teach the girl a lesson,’ for falling in love with a boy outside her community.
The girl was rescued on Friday night, when police came to know of the fate that awaited her after getting information about it. Later she was shifted to a shelter home. Based on a complaint by her, the police registered a case against three village heads and community leaders under the Protection of Civil Rights Act, for passing a resolution to implement the rituals and fined the girl’s family of Rs 26,000.
According to police, the girl was in love with a boy named Ponagati Vijay, of Raikal mandal, who belonged to a Scheduled Caste community. On coming to know of the affair, the girl’s parents sent her to their relatives' place in some other village three months ago. Based on a complaint allegedly filed by the girl the boy was remanded to judicial custody. The girl’s parents have decided to bring her back to the village for Bathkamma festival, but the villagers have resorted to it.