On August 24, a woman from Telangana left her marital home with her brother-in-law. Nine days later, she appeared before the police with the man and expressed her desire to live with him. The two subsequently moved in together. A happy ending? Perhaps not. According to viral social media videos, the woman was later subjected to a village-level punishment in which she was allegedly assaulted and stripped.
It all began when the woman, a resident of Ailapur village in Telangana's Karimnagar district, went missing. Her husband filed a missing-person complaint. On September 2, the woman and her brother-in-law-turned-partner, Pochaya, appeared before the local police and recorded their statements. The two said they had left of their own free will.
The police counselled the couple and sent them back.
Following this, the man's relatives visited the couple and confronted the woman. She was allegedly scolded and assaulted, police said. Chilli powder was thrown on the woman's face and she was beaten, according to the police.
Viral videos on social media, however, claimed that a caste panchayat was convened, where the woman was assaulted and tortured with chilli powder and jeedi (marking nut), a substance that can cause severe blistering of the skin. The videos also claimed that she was stripped and paraded, and that chilli powder had been applied to her private parts.
Calling these claims "false" and "rumours", the police said no such traditional or tribal court proceeding had taken place and that the incident stemmed from a family dispute over marital issues.
According to a preliminary inquiry, chilli powder was thrown only on the woman's face, said A Ramulu, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Metpalli subdivision. He added that claims she was stripped, paraded or had chilli powder applied to her private parts were false and baseless.
A case of assault was registered on September 15 based on the victim's statement, and legal action is being taken against those involved in allegedly assaulting and harassing her.
Further action will depend on the evidence gathered during the investigation, police said.
