KHARGONE: A tribal couple, who had eloped to Maharashtra, was tortured and their hair chopped off by villagers in MP’s Khargone district on Friday. Police have booked eight people, including the husband of a sarpanch, in the case.
The couple are paternal cousins, which is why their families strongly opposed their relationship, say police. The duo first fled to Gujarat two months ago but were tracked down by their relatives and brought back to Ahirkheda village, around 90km from Indore.
The woman’s family forcefully married her off to another man from Bistan, around 250km from Ahirkheda, hoping distance will break the relationship but she kept in touch with her lover, say police. She returned to her parents after quarreling with her husband, and the lovers eloped again, this time to Maharashtra.
They were tracked down and brought back to the village. A panchayat was called on Friday where the woman’s parents, maternal uncle Chamaria, cousin Gabru, who is the husband of Ahirkheda’s sarpanch, and some other relatives thrashed the couple and cut off some of their hair, say police.
“On receiving information, I rushed to the spot, freed both of them and brought them to Gogawan police station under police custody,” said Dharmendra Yadav, who is in charge of Ahirkheda police post. Yadav said he arrived just when the hair cutting had started and if he hadn’t reached in time a “major incident” could have taken place.
A case under IPC sections for voluntarily causing hurt, rioting, criminal intimidation and uttering obscenities was registered on Friday evening against Gabru, the woman’s parents and five other close relatives on the basis of her complaint, Gogawa police station in charge Karan Singh Parmar said. SP DS Yadav has ordered strict action in the case, he added. Chamaria and another accused were arrested on Saturday and produced in court. Police let the couple go on their own wish, he said.
The couple are paternal cousins, which is why their families strongly opposed their relationship, say police. The duo first fled to Gujarat two months ago but were tracked down by their relatives and brought back to Ahirkheda village, around 90km from Indore.
The woman’s family forcefully married her off to another man from Bistan, around 250km from Ahirkheda, hoping distance will break the relationship but she kept in touch with her lover, say police. She returned to her parents after quarreling with her husband, and the lovers eloped again, this time to Maharashtra.
They were tracked down and brought back to the village. A panchayat was called on Friday where the woman’s parents, maternal uncle Chamaria, cousin Gabru, who is the husband of Ahirkheda’s sarpanch, and some other relatives thrashed the couple and cut off some of their hair, say police.
“On receiving information, I rushed to the spot, freed both of them and brought them to Gogawan police station under police custody,” said Dharmendra Yadav, who is in charge of Ahirkheda police post. Yadav said he arrived just when the hair cutting had started and if he hadn’t reached in time a “major incident” could have taken place.
A case under IPC sections for voluntarily causing hurt, rioting, criminal intimidation and uttering obscenities was registered on Friday evening against Gabru, the woman’s parents and five other close relatives on the basis of her complaint, Gogawa police station in charge Karan Singh Parmar said. SP DS Yadav has ordered strict action in the case, he added. Chamaria and another accused were arrested on Saturday and produced in court. Police let the couple go on their own wish, he said.
