Woman and lover stripped, thrashed on panchayat's order

Bangalore, Jul 23: A caste panchayat in Sarada in

's Udaipur district yesterday dispensed what can best be described as medieval justice. On their orders, a man tied his wife and her paramour to a tree before

the duo in front of nearly 1000 onlookers.

Then their hair was cut and both were brutally thrashed for three hours. What is more, the villagers pelted stones at the police who had reached the spot on receiving information.

The woman and 27-year-old Prakash Meena with whom she was having an affair were finally rescued around 4 pm. According to police sources, the latter is distantly related to the former.

The woman is said to have got involved in the illicit relationship while her husband Hamji Meena was working in Ahmedabad. Though the lovers left the village for Keshiriyaji two weeks ago, the villagers managed to trace them on Jul 21.

After the duo was brought back to Sarada, the panchayat decided that both must be given stringent punishment as demanded by Hamji and his parents.

Six panchayat members, the woman's in-laws and hundreds of locals have been booked in this connection. Another case has been registered against all of them for attacking the police.

Incidentally, a team sent by the National Commission of Women visited the village today to ascertain the facts.

OneIndia News