At least seven people were arrested in Madhya Pradesh's Khargone district after a 45-year-old woman was allegedly thrashed and forced to walk carrying her husband on her shoulders at a village, police said on Wednesday. According to reports, the woman was asked to carry her husband on shoulders as a 'punishment' on suspicion of having an affair and allegedly eloping with another man.
Police informed that the incident took place in Kaili village under Oon police station limits on June 30. However, it came to light after a video of the matter went viral on social media.
The video shows several villagers shouting at the woman and humiliating her as she is forced to walk around the village, carrying her husband. The police had received a phone call about a family dispute in Kaili village and a team reached the spot.
The Police then found that the woman was not ready to go with her husband. The police have arrested seven persons, including the victim's husband.
The sub divisional officer of police (SDOP) Rakesh Mohan Shukla told reporters that around 20 to 25 persons can be seen in the video and all of them will soon be arrested under the relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), news agency PTI reported.
The victim had gotten married 25 years ago. However, some years after their marriage, her husband went to jail for his father's murder and was released after serving the sentence.
The woman had started living at a nearby village and travelled to neighbouring Maharashtra to work as a labourer. The villagers objected to the woman living with her relative and held a panchayat deciding that she should move in with her husband.
A similar incident took place in Borpadav village in Dewas district of Madhya Pradesh, where a tribal woman was thrashed and paraded with her husband on her shoulders. The woman was suspected of having an extra-marital affair and nine people have been arrested in the case.
(With inputs from PTI.)