Tribal woman paraded naked, beaten up in WB; 6 of 11 accused held

Alipurduar: A 35-year-old tribal woman was paraded naked and beaten up by villagers for “leaving her husband for another man” in Alipurduar district. Three persons have been arrested while eight others named in the FIR are absconding.

The incident took place on Thursday when the woman returned to her husband’s house after six months. Police learnt about it on Sunday when a video of the incident was widely circulated on social media. Upon her return to the village, she was cornered by villagers, source said. In a Kangaroo court, villager elders decided stripping as a form of “punishment” for her alleged extramarital affair with a man from a neighbouring village.

“Mariya na kitna mariyega (beat me as much as you can),” the woman is heard saying in the video.

After the incident, she left for her parents’ house in Assam. Police brought her back Sunday night and a complaint was registered. The three arrested persons were produced in the Alipurduar court on Monday and remanded to police custody.

Last year, a 32-year-old tribal widow and her partner were allegedly kept in confinement for a day.

She was allegedly gang-raped in a Birbhum village.