A 30-year-old tribal woman was allegedly gang-raped and paraded nude on June 10 in village Bilai Khedi, Khandwa district of the State. Reports say that she was also forced to drink urine. According to the statement given by the victim, 10 accused, including the husband of the victim have been arrested and a complaint under Section 376, 354, 294, 332, 506 and 34 has been registered.
The victim's son was also with her when the incident took place but was beaten up when he tried to stop the villagers. The incident had taken place in front of the victim's 10-year-old son at a village in Bilai Khedi under Piplod police station area, some 60 km from the Khandwa district headquarters on June 10, delayed reports reaching the State capital said.
According to the police, the victim had been living separately from her husband, Kailash Bhil (35), for the last couple of months, owing to some property dispute. According to the victim, she had been called to a place in the village by her husband on the pretext of thrashing out the differences between them.
The woman did as she was asked to, and went along with her son to meet her husband. Her husband had been waiting for her along with a few other men. Police sources said that the woman was then thrashed, gang-raped and paraded naked and the group of men also forced her to consume urine.
The victim narrated the ordeal to her parents and thereafter petitioned the police, which swung into action and arrested nine people in this connection. Further investigations are on, police said.
There has been nation-wide outrage on the string of incidents of sexual assault on women. The issue has come into fresh focus following the gang-rape and murder of two cousins, whose bodies were found hanging from a tree in Badaun district of Uttar Pradesh.