A 35-year-old woman was dragged, paraded half-naked on a road and beaten over allegations of an extra-marital affair. The woman, whose husband is in jail in a murder case, was beaten, partially stripped, and then tied to a motorcycle with a chain. Twelve people were arrested in connection with the case after a video of her ordeal went viral. A search for three more people is underway.
The incident took place on January 28 in Gujarat’s Dhalmisal village when the woman went to another man’s house to meet him. A mob, led by her father-in-law and her husband’s brother, along with some women, dragged her out of the house and assaulted her, according to the FIR.
She was paraded around the village. The brutal video, which surfaced online, shows the woman pleading for mercy, but the mob continues to torment her, dragging her along the road while bound to the motorcycle.
Dahod district’s Superintendent of Police, Rajdeep Singh Jala, informed that the woman had been rescued from her father-in-law’s home, where she had been confined. Police conducted a combing operation and arrested the suspects, who included four women, four men, and four minors.
The accused have been booked on charges of abduction, wrongful confinement, outraging modesty and assault with intent to disrobe, while those in the mob who videoed the act and circulated it have been slapped with provisions of the Information Technology Act, the SP informed.
The police have also urged the public not to circulate such videos and warned of action against those found responsible for sharing them.
The incident even drew political attention with the opposition Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) slamming the BJP-led Gujarat government over the incident and seeking strict action against the culprits.
with PTI inputs