Villagers strip to prove their innocence in Ajmer

Ajmer, Sep 11 (UNI) A village panchayat in Ajmer has stripped hundreds of villagers to find the culprit responsible for the rape and killing of a woman.

The incident took place in Boraj village on Monday and followed the murder and rape of a 35-year-old woman Geetha Rawat wife of Sohan Rawat of the village. She was found murdered on Sunday morning on a hill in the village where she went to graze goat.

The village panchayat ordered the stripping except undergarments of all males aged between the 15-60 years on Monday. This included the panchayat members also.

The panchayat decided on this count on the logic that while committing the crime the man responsible for the murder must have sustained some bruises on his body as Geetha's body bore signs of struggle.

Incidentally the police was also present during the stripping which lasted from morning to afternoon. However, it could not figure out the guilty.

Additional SP Lalit Maheshwari said no case of rape was registered till now as the police have yet to receive the post mortem report.

Head of the panchayat Tara Rawat justified the measure by saying that ''there is nothing new in the stripping incident as it has been a tradition prevaling in the village. He said when incidents like this happens villagers volunteers to strip to prove their innocence''.

UNI