Gujarat: Tribal couple tied to tree, thrashed with sticks for eloping; nine held
Chhotaudepur (Guj): A young tribal couple from a village in Gujarat's Chhotaudepur district was allegedly abducted, tied to a tree and thrashed with sticks as a punishment for eloping, police said on Wednesday.
The police have arrested nine men for the alleged attack that took place in Chiliyavant village under the Rangpur police station in Chhotaudepur district on Tuesday, Deputy Superintendent of Police A V Katkad said.
A video of the incident, which surfaced on social media, showed some men taking turns to beat the couple, who were tied to a tree, with sticks in the presence of other villagers, the police said.
On learning about the incident through the video, the police rushed to the village on Wednesday and arrested the accused on the charges of rioting, kidnapping and illegal confinement based on a complaint lodged by the victim girl, the official said.
"The couple had eloped on July 18 with an intention of getting married. However, angry villagers eventually traced them to a neighbouring village and brought them back to Chiliyavant on Tuesday morning. The accused tied the duo to a tree and thrashed them with sticks," the DySP said.
The victim in her complaint has claimed that the accused were angry because a local tradition bars marriage of man and woman from the same village, it was stated.
A similar incident took place in Dhada village under Rangpur police station a month ago, where a tribal couple was assaulted by five men as a punishment for eloping.
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Voters in Kolar village boycott polling; demand closure of MSIL bar outside village
Kolar: Urging the closure of the liquor shop opened by the government-owned Mysore Sales International Limited (MSIL) in Begli Benjenahalli of Kolar taluk, the people in the village staged a protest and also boycotted the polls this year.
Although the election officers visited the village to urge them to compulsorily exercise their right to franchise in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, but failed to convince the locals. The protesters were adamant in their demand for the closure of the MSIL bar, which has been opened on the outskirts of the village.
The people of Begli Benjenahalli had earlier staged a protest outside the office of the Excise Department, demanding a denial of permission to MSIL to open the bar.
While the village has 540 voters, it is reported that none of them has cast vote in the current elections.
