Chhattisgarh: Minor girl molested, then hair chopped off to 'purify' her

A 13-year-old girl's hair was chopped off and ostracised as part of a 'purification ritual' in Kawardha district of Chhattisgarh after she was allegedly molested by a man. The decision was given by the panchayat of her own tribe.

The victim and her family work as daily-wage labourers in the area. The incident happened on January 21, when the victim was molested by a drunk man identified as Arjun Yadav. Some eminent members of the village witnessed the incident and punished both the accused and the victim with fines.

However, on February 4, the Baiga Adivasi community, to which the girl belongs, convened a meeting and ostracised her family stating that their daughter had become impure due to the molestation incident

What's even more shocking is that the molester was set free after he paid the fine, but the villagers decided to further punish the victim. A diktat was given that her family would organise a feast of mutton and alcohol for all members of the village.

A search was on for the community members who had ordered and carried out the ritual.

When the incident came to light, a police team was sent to the village and Yadav, who was accused of molestation, was arrested. Meanwhile, a case has been registered under the Atrocity act.

OneIndia News