Youth elopes with girl in Karnal village, kin beaten up, their faces blackened

KARNAL: Fiftyfive-year-old father and an uncle of a 20-yearold youth, who had eloped with an 18-year-old girl, were allegedly beaten up, garlanded with shoes and their faces blackened by the family members of the girl at Pada village of Karnal district.

The family members of the boy told HT that they are staying outside the village out of fear for the past two days. They also alleged that they lodged a police complaint on Tuesday, but the police did not take immediate action to provide them protection.

Police said the Dalit girl had allegedly eloped with the youth of her community from the same village on May 17. But the family members of the girl filed a complaint, accusing the youth of kidnapping her. The police managed to trace them from Kaithal on May 20.

But during the interrogation, the girl told the police that she was not kidnapped and had gone with the youth on her own.

As she told the police that she did not want to go back to the village, she was sent to Nari Niketan, Karnal, and the youth was sent to his home.

But on the evening of May 21, the family members of the girl allegedly called a panchayat in the village wherein Dharambir, father of the boy, and his elder brother Jile Singh, were allegedly beaten up by family members of the girl. They also blackened their faces and garlanded them with shoes.

Talking to HT, Dharambir’s nephew Salinder alleged that on May 22, they lodged a police complaint at Assandh, but no action was taken. They were even made to sit in the police station for several hours.

When contacted, Karnal SP Surender Bhoria said, “The police have registered an FIR under Section 323, 506 and 34 of IPC against Sunil, Tasa, Ramesh, Inder Singh, Sonu and others”.

On the allegations that the police did not act immediately on their complaint, the SP said this will be investigated and action will be taken accordingly.

THE COUPLE, WHO HAD ELOPED ON MAY 17, WERE TRACED BY POLICE IN KAITHAL ON MAY 20; GIRL HAD TOLD THE COPS THAT SHE HAD GONE ON HER OWN