Youth tonsured, paraded by mob for alleged eve-teasing

Vadodara, Sep 2 (UNI) A youth was mercilessly beaten up, tonsured and paraded on the streets after he was allegedly caught teasing a girl in the busy Raopura area here today.

Though the unsavoury incident took place close to the Raopura police station and virtually led to a traffic jam for more than an hour, neither the police stopped the mob from taking law into their own hands, nor did they register any offence in the matter.

Avinash Lokhandwala (28) working with the ICICI bank, was beaten up by a local mob after the parents of the girl caught hold of the boy with his bike at the Mahajan gali alleging that he was teasing their daughter.

Instead of handing him over to the police, a mob which immediately gathered on the spot gave him a thrashing before calling a barber to shave off his hair.

The youth, who was even made to pay Rs 25 to the barber from his own pocket, was later paraded on the streets before being set free.

Later talking to reporters Avinash said he was punished by the local mob for no fault of his. ''I had been to the area to purchase some puja materials for tomorrow's Ganesh Mahotsav, and stopped my bike at the spot after the girl gave me a smile, but I have not indulged in any kind of eve-teasing with her,'' he claimed.

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