An 18-year-old pregnant woman suffered miscarriage after being forced to do sit-ups as a punishment for having an affair. The gruesome incident took place in a village near Haldia in West Bengal on November 27 where the woman was thrashed in a ‘Kangaroo Court’ for “bringing disrepute” to the village.
Victim’s family harassed
Reportedly, the ‘kangaroo court’ convened to decide on how to punish the woman for marrying the man of her choice, whom she previously had an affair with.The victim’s mother reportedly said that the couple got married three months ago to a 21-year-old carpenter.
According to Hindustan Times, the victim’s mother lodged a three-page complaint where she wrote that her daughter was tortured after the village elders refused to accept the affair. The complaint names of five accused including village headman Sheikh Rabiul Mullick and the secretary Sheikh Ashraf Ali along with three other witnesses. Police sources suggests that an FIR has been loged, however, no arrests have been made yet. It was only after the family lodged the complaint that the matter could come to light. The family had been living in fear ever since the news of the affair broke.
What had happened?
“She was directed to do 25 sit-ups. But after about nine sit-ups she lost consciousness and fell to the ground”, said victim’s mother. The report also said that the woman was by beaten blue and black and was kicked in her stomach. “They also snatched 12-gram gold chain which she was wearing”, added victim’s mother.
She was then immediately rushed to the hospital in Haldia, where she was informed about her miscarriage, reported The Indian Express.
Trinamool Congress leader, Sheikh Mainuddin, while denying Mullick and Ali’s link with the ruling party says, “It is a dastardly act. We have told the police to arrest the culprits immediately”. Meanwhile, BJP district president Pradip Das said that the police should take strong action against the perpetrators.
The Logical Indian Take
Even though West Bengal’s capital Kolkata managed to secure 18th position among the safest cities in India, the state’s crime record contradicts. The state contributes 9.6% of the total crimes recorded against a woman in India. Last year, 19,302 cases of domestic violence and 54 cases of acid attacks were registered in the state. It also tops among the six states as far as rape cases are concerned.
In India where patriarchy is deep-rooted, it’s unimaginable for the society to accept that a woman can have her own choice or perspective. Incidents like these are a threat to the concept of freedom for women. The Logical Indian condemns such occurrences and urges the authority to take strict action against the accused.
Also Read: Honour Killings: A Crime Of Past Which Haunts Our Present
