Belagavi: Woman paraded naked, tied to electric pole after son elopes with girl
Belagavi (PTI): A woman was allegedly assaulted, paraded naked and tied to an electric pole in a village in this district, after her son eloped with a girl who was to get engaged with someone else, police said on Monday.
On getting to know about the girl's act, her family members attacked his house in new Vantamuri village, damaging it.
They are then said to have dragged his mother away, paraded her naked and tied her to an electricity pole, they said.
The police, who rushed to the spot and set her free, have arrested seven persons in connection with the incident, and are investigating the matter. Additional forces have been deployed to avoid any untoward incident.
Belagavi Police Commissioner Siddramappa said both the 24-year-old Ashok and 18-year-old Priyanka belonging to the same community and from the same village were in love. At around 12:30 am on Monday, they left the village.
Angered by this, the girl's parents and relatives barged into his house, and treated his mother inhumanly, police said.
"On getting the information at 4 am, our Police Sub Inspector visited the village, followed by other senior officials, and seven people have been arrested," he said, adding that a case has been registered in Kakati police station.
Commenting on the incident, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said, "strict action will be taken against those who have committed the offence."
Terming the incident "extremely inhuman", Siddaramaiah, later in a post on 'X', said:
"This has made the whole society bow their head in shame. Our government will not tolerate such heinous acts for any reason."
"Several people have already been arrested in connection with the case. It is our full responsibility to provide justice to the aggrieved family by taking action to ensure that the culprits are punished severely," he added.
Home Minister G Parameshwara, who visited the area, termed the incident inhuman and said 10-15 members of the girl's family are said to have attacked the youth's mother, who was alone at home.
Police rescued the woman and took her to hospital for treatment, he said. "Those responsible...seven people have been arrested and will be produced before the court....efforts are on track to get the couple who have gone away back."
This is truly a shameful incident, Parameshwara said, adding, action is being taken by the police in accordance with law.
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UP Cong holds statewide protest seeking probe into FIR against Swami Avimukteshwaranand
Lucknow (PTI): The Uttar Pradesh Congress on Wednesday staged a statewide protest demanding a fair and transparent inquiry into the FIR lodged against Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati and those who filed the complaint against him.
In a statement issued here, the party said memorandums addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi were submitted through district magistrates in all districts of the state.
Uttar Pradesh Congress spokesperson Manish Hindvi told PTI that the memorandums were handed over through the district administration in all 75 districts.
In the memorandum, the party alleged that Saraswati and his disciples were "unnecessarily harassed and humiliated" by police on the occasion of Amavasya and were prevented from taking a ritual bath (at the Magh Mela). It further alleged that some disciples were manhandled and taken to a police station.
The memorandum also claimed that an FIR was later registered against Saraswati, his disciple Swami Mukundanand Brahmachari and several unidentified persons in a sexual harassment case. It termed the case a "conspiracy" aimed at tarnishing the seer's reputation.
Citing Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution, the memorandum stated that these provisions guarantee religious freedom and the right of religious denominations to manage their own affairs.
It described the position of shankaracharya held by Saraswati as "one of the highest spiritual posts in Sanatan tradition" and alleged that the entire episode appeared to have been "orchestrated in a planned manner".
"We request that the background of the persons who got the FIR registered be investigated in a transparent manner by a retired high court judge and strict action be taken against them," the memorandum said.
It also sought a "fair and transparent probe" into the allegations levelled against Saraswati so that the truth could be established.
Earlier, Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai had told reporters in Varanasi after meeting Saraswati that the party stood firmly with him.
The Congress said it would continue to press for an impartial inquiry into the entire episode.
On February 21, an FIR was lodged in Prayagraj against Saraswati and his disciple Mukundanand Brahmachari on charges of sexually abusing two persons, including a minor, over the past year at a gurukul and religious congregations, including the recently concluded Magh Mela.
Days after he was booked, Saraswati had said on Monday that he would not oppose his arrest and asserted that the "fabricated story" would be exposed sooner or later.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Saraswati alleged that criminals rule in Uttar Pradesh, level allegations and influence investigations, as he denied having any contact with the two persons for whose alleged sexual abuse he has been booked.
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