Tribal couple beaten, forced to drink urine over ‘love marriage’

LIST OF CHARGES PRESSED

A tribal couple was beaten and forced to drink urine in Hardaspur village here allegedly for undergoing a love marriage, police said on Tuesday.

The incident came to light after a video clip of the incident became public, forcing the police to intervene. The girl’s mother is a former village sarpanch, and her husband is a local Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader.

Ambua police station incharge Vikas Kapees said that Keram Singh and Durbai’s 19-year old daughter Nanki eloped with Ramesh alias Hitesh (21) who lived in the same village, roughlt two months ago.

As is tribal custom, a tribal panchayat was called and it was decided that the boy’s father would pay ₹70,000 in cash and two goats as the ‘bride’s price’, which was paid by the boy’s father, said Kapees.

The couple then went to Gujarat to work as labourers and

ALIRAJPUR:

452 OF IPC: House trespass after preparation for hurt, assault or wrongful restraint

148 OF IPC: Rioting, armed with deadly weapon

149 OF IPC: Everymember of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed by prosecution of common objective of that assault.

came back on July 24 for a family function.

They were sleeping at their uncle’s house when Keram Singh, his brother Maal Singh and Vaal Singh and three others barged into the house at 4 am and forced Nanki and Ramesh to accompany to the girl’s house at gun point, said Kapees.

There they tied Ramesh to a post and beat him, partially disrobed Nanki and cut her hair. Then they forced the couple to drink urine to humiliate them further, said the officer.

Nanki and Ramesh said that 294 OF IPC: Obscene Acts

323 OF IPC: Voluntarily causing hurt

506 OF IPC: Criminal intimidation 504 OF IPC: Intentional insult with intent to breach of peace 354 B OF IPC: Assault or use of criminal force to woman with intent to disrobe.

since the bride’s price had been paid and elopement was part of tribal custom, they did not expect this behaviour.

Ramesh filed a complaint and case under Sections 452, 148, 149, 294, 323, 506, 504 354B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) was registered against six persons accused of attacking the couple while they were visiting the village .

Alirajpur SP Vipul Shrivastava said one of the brothers, Maal Singh, and another person had been arrested and police were looking for the others.