BHOPAL: A middle-aged mother of two was allegedly tonsured and forced to carry her husband on her shoulders through a village in Madhya Pradesh’s Jhabua district after an illegal Bhil panchayat accused her of eloping with her lover.
The incident was reported from Balawas village in the Kakanwani area of Jhabua district and took place on April 12.
According to sources, the woman was subjected to the punishment on the diktat of an illegal tribal panchayat. Her head was forcibly shaved and she was then made to walk through the village carrying her husband on her shoulders.
As the woman carried her husband under pressure from tribal men tasked with enforcing the punishment, some of them allegedly beat her with wooden sticks to ensure she complied.
Videos of the incident later surfaced on social media. One clip showed the woman being tonsured, while another showed her carrying her husband on her shoulders as men hit her with sticks.
“We came to know about Sunday’s (April 12) incident when its videos became viral. A team was promptly pressed into action. The victim was found, and she later lodged a complaint on Tuesday, followed by the arrest of four men, including her husband, so far in the matter,” additional SP of Jhabua district PS Mahobiya said.
The accused, including the four arrested men and five to six others who are absconding, have been booked under Sections 74, 76, 85, 296, 115(2), 351(3) and 3(5) of the BNS.
According to sources, the woman had married Dilip Bhuria around 10 years ago and has two children.
However, over the past few months, Dilip had allegedly been harassing her, prompting her to leave and stay with her former lover in another village.
After learning about it, the illegal Bhil panchayat reportedly directed the man she was staying with to pay a penalty of more than Rs 1 lakh.
The man allegedly paid the amount and sent the woman back home on April 12. Upon her return, she was allegedly humiliated and subjected to the punishment ordered by the panchayat.
According to Jhabua-based political and social commentator Chandrabhan Singh Bhadauria, such incidents are not new and continue to take place in tribal-dominated villages of Jhabua, Alirajpur, Dhar and adjoining districts.
“All these incidents of savagery with women happen in a hush-hush manner and come to the knowledge of police only if the videos of the brutality go viral, which was the case in the latest incident also. Such acts are particularly intended to frighten other women about what will be consequences if they commit a similar act. This is both shocking as well as shameful, particularly when there will be a Special Session of Parliament from Thursday to empower women through 33% reservation in legislatures,” Bhadauria said.