Rajasthan Police has arrested three people, including the husband, accused of beating and stripping a woman publicly and recording the act on camera in Pratapgarh district. The police have detained seven other accused in the case.
A five-member special investigation team has been formed by the state police to further probe in the case. This came after the arrests were made.
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VICTIM 4-MONTHS PREGNANT
The 20-year-old victim is said to be four months pregnant.
On Saturday, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot announced he would head to Pratapgarh to meet the victim.
WHAT HAPPENED
The incident purportedly took place on August 31 at around 5 pm.
The woman, who got married last year, was beaten by her husband and in-laws who alleged that she had eloped with a man in the neighbourhood. She was also stripped and allegedly paraded naked in the village by the accused.
Pratapgarh police also made an appeal not to circulate the video on social media platforms.
A case has been registered against 10 people under sections 294 (obscene act), 323 (causing hurt), 341 (wrongful restraint), 354 (assaulting women), 365 (kidnapping), 498 (detaining married woman) and 504 (insulting someone) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code and section 67 (transmitting obscene material) of the Information Technology Act.
Rajasthan’s Pratapgarh DGP Umesh Mishra told news agency PTI that the deplorable act was allegedly committed by the in-laws of the victim.
“Initial investigation revealed that the in-laws of the victim did the deplorable act. They were annoyed as she had gone somewhere else. So they kidnapped her and took her to their village where the horrific incident took place,” Mishra said.
The senior cop also mentioned that all suspects had been identified and police teams were working to arrest the accused.
GEHLOT VOWS ACTION
The incident came to light after a video went viral, prompting the police to take action. On Friday, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot took note of the video and vouched for strict action against the accused and his family.
“In Pratapgarh district, a video of a woman being stripped naked by her in-laws has surfaced in a family dispute between Pihar and her in-laws. The Director General of Police has been instructed to send ADG Crime on the spot and take strict action in this matter. There is no place for such criminals in a civilized society. These criminals will be put behind bars as soon as possible and punished after being prosecuted in a fast-track court,” Gehlot wrote on X.