Woman pays fine after ex- boyfriend circulates her obscene pictures

Shillong, Sep 11: Patriarchy has been so deep rooted in our society, that even a crime committed by a man is not a crime but instead is a mistake of the woman. One such incident took place in Meghalaya recently when a woman was asked to pay fine after her former boyfriend posted obscene photos of her in the social media.

A woman in Meghalaya's North Garo Hills was told to pay a fine of Rs 3000 by village elders after her former boyfriend uploaded her semi-nude pictures and videos on the Internet. Adding to it, she was ordered to pay Rs 1500 as an atonement for her sin.

Apparently, after the break up, the former boyfriend posted many obscene photos and videos of the woman which were taken when they were in relationship. The photos and videos passed from one person to another and soon it was a rage among the villagers. The woman filed a complaint against the man in the local police station.

The next day the village elders' Dainadubi Mothers' Union summoned the woman and said that she had 'sinned'. They were enraged by the fact that she had gone to the police station and had filed a complaint on the man, who was the only person they trusted in this issue. As an 'atonement' for her sins she had to pay the money to the village. The so-called judges decided to listen only to the man and completely ignored the woman's version of the story.

"During my relationship with him, he had taken an obscene video of mine without my knowledge. On learning about it, I told him to delete it but he didn't do so," the woman wrote in her complaint filed on August 30 with Mendipathar Police Station against one Mansrang Sangma of Gairong village. The accused has been arrested by the police.

A Shillong-based Civil Society Women's Organisation (CSWO) came to the rescue of the victim and has stood behind her and has promised to deliver justice to the woman.