Rajasthan horror: A 21-year-old tribal woman was allegedly beaten, stripped naked and paraded in a village in Rajasthan's Pratapgarh district by her husband and in-laws, police said on Friday. The incident came to light after a video went viral.
According to Director General of Police (DGP) Umesh Mishra, the incident took place on Thursday in the district's Nichalkota village of Pahada Gram Panchayat under Dhariyavad police station limits in the district.
Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot will visit Pratapgarh and during his visit he may meet the victim.
'Woman was in relationship with another man'
The police said that the woman, who got married last year, was in a relationship with another man and she had started living with another man in the village. "The in-laws of the woman kidnapped her and took her to their village where the incident took place. Her in-laws were annoyed as she was staying with another man," said Mishra.
The DGP said that after the woman was kidnapped, she was beaten up by her husband who also stripped her and paraded her for about one kilometre in the village.
Nine arrested
A case has been registered against 13 people. According to ADG Crime, nine people have been arrested after the interrogation. The police said that the legs of the three main accused were broken while they were attempting to flee. They are undergoing treatment in the district hospital.
Video went viral
In the viral video, it was seen that a man stripping the woman while other men recorded the incident on their mobile phones. The video has sparked outrage on social media.
"Shameful video from Pratapgarh, Rajasthan A ST girl was stripped n paraded naked due to love affairs I bet Manipur gang won't utter a single word now and won't ask for resignation for Ashok Gehlot as they did in Manipur time," said an user on X.
"Heartbreaking and shameful news from Rajasthan. Where a woman was openly stripped, and bystanders chose to record videos instead of helping. When will this end? @ashokgehlot51 ji. Kindly take strict action @PoliceRajasthan," said a user on X.
Another user tweeted, "A woman is stripped naked by a group of men for having an alleged love affair. But as it's a Congress-ruled state there will be no LeLi outrage, no demands for the CM to resign & no protests for women's safety like there was for the Manipur incident."
"A woman being stripped naked in Rajasthan's Pratapgarh. No outrage by cabal because Rajasthan is under Congress rule," wrote another user.
Six teams formed to arrest accused
DGP Mishra in Jaipur said that the state government has taken the incident very seriously and has sent ADG Dinesh to Pratapgarh. He said six teams have been formed to arrest the accused and Pratapgarh Superintendent of Police Amit Kumar is camping in the village.
Congress MLA from Dhariyawad Assembly segment in Pratapgarh district, Nagraj Meena, told ANI that he has directed the police to take immediate action in the matter. "I arrived at the Dhariyawad police station as soon as I came to know about the incident. I have had a discussion with the District Collector and District Superintendent of Police on the matter. The incident that has happened has no limits for condemnation. The police will act promptly in this matter. I have already directed the police to take immediate action in this matter," he told ANI.
Ashok Gehlot on viral video
Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said that strict action will be taken against the accused persons adding that there is no place for such criminals in a civilised society. “In Pratapgarh district, a video of a woman being stripped naked by her in-laws has surfaced due to a family dispute between her family and her in-laws. The Director General of Police has been instructed to send ADG Crime to the spot and take strict action in this matter.,” Gehlot posted on X.
“There is no place for such criminals in a civilised society. These criminals will be put behind bars as soon as possible and will be tried and punished in the fast track court,” Gehlot added.
Opposition reactions to the horrific video
BJP national president JP Nadda said "The video from Pratapgarh, Rajasthan is shocking. What is worse is, governance in Rajasthan is totally absent. The CM and Ministers are busy settling factional squabbles, and the remaining time is spent appeasing one dynasty in Delhi. It's no wonder the issue of women’s safety is being completely ignored in the state. Every single day, there is an instance of harassment against women. The people of Rajasthan will teach the state Government a lesson."
Slamming the Ashok Gehlot government in the state, former chief minister and BJP leader Vasundhara Raje said that it was responsible for making the state number 1 in terms of crimes committed against women in the state. The BJP leader also appealed to people to not share the video, saying that the incident has put Rajasthan to shame.
BJP leader Gajendra Singh Shekhawat slammed Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot over his tall claims on women's safety. "In Rajasthan, all the limits of inhumanity on women have been crossed. In Dhariyavad, a woman has been stripped naked and beaten, whose video is viral, but Gehlot ji, who makes tall claims on women's safety, is the Chief Minister and Home Minister of which state? Two days have passed, the police has not even prepared the report! The hypocrisy of Congress has also become naked now. Where is Rahul Gandhi? When will Dhariyavad come? When will Ashok Gehlot demand resignation and demand President's rule in Rajasthan?" he said.
Rajasthan BJP leader and Chittorgarh MP CP Joshi also reacted to the incident and said, "Today Rajasthan is again ashamed. The administration did not have a clue about this female atrocity incident in the lower quota of Pahada Gram Panchayat of Dhariyawad Tehsil of Pratapgarh district. This explains why Rajasthan is ranked 1 in rape and atrocities against women."
NCW demand a comprehensive report within 5 days
National Commission for Women condemns the harrowing incident in Pratapgarh. NCW chief Rekha Sharma has instructed the state's DGP to promptly arrest the culprits and invoke necessary IPC provisions. "A woman was molested, stripped, and recorded on video. Despite it happening two days ago, police inaction is unacceptable. NCW chief Rekha Sharma has instructed the state's DGP to promptly arrest the culprits and invoke necessary IPC provisions. We demand a comprehensive report within 5 days," it said.
