Couple paraded naked by locals in Dumka district of Jharkhand, police swing into action

Ranchi: In a most shocking instance which has come to light from the Dumka district of Jharkhand, a couple was allegedly stripped and brutally thrashed by locals at a village on Thursday. Going by reports, a case has been registered in this regard at the Saraiyahat police station and the matter is being probed, reports ANI.

As per reports in other media outlets such as NDTV India and TV9Bharatvarsh, the couple was a minor girl who was allegedly found in a compromising position with a middle-aged man in the sugarcane fields by the villagers. The girl had come to attend the wedding of her paternal cousin on Wednesday night but had apparently been lured into the fields by the man at night. The villagers 'caught' them 'red-handed' and launched their vigilante act of thrashing the couple, tearing their clothes and parading them naked the next day around the Saraiyahat market area. 

In its complaint to the police, the couple alleged that they were stripped of their clothes and forced to parade naked throughout the village. However, Dumka Superintendent of Police (SP) YS Ramesh claims that local cops found the couple in an "obnoxious situation" and brought them to the Saraiyahat police station. A video of the incident was also recovered during the course of the investigation and a first information report has been lodged, said Ramesh. The reports also say that the embarrassed and fearful mother of the minor girl even had the middle-aged 'so-called paramour' put sindoor on the girl's forehead, to signify that they were thus married.

Looking to further investigate the matter, the sub-divisional officer (SDO) has set up a camp in the village to identify and initiate action against all those who were seen berating and harassing the couple in the recovered video. The SP told news agency ANI that some of the accused have been arrested while a search is underway for the rest who will also be in police custody soon. Ramesh also said that the villagers were socially responsible for protecting the couple but not one person came to their rescue.

According to ANI, the reason for the altercation which led to the accused forcing the couple to parade naked is still unclear but the victims have now been granted police protection. Meanwhile, the accused have been booked under relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and sent to jail.

A similar instance was reported from Udaipur in Rajasthan last year where four people were arrested for allegedly assaulting and forcing a couple to parade naked through the village while recording a video of the incident. The matter fell under the jurisdiction of the Sukher police station and took place in the Sare Khurd village.