UN expresses concern over Rajasthan village incident

United Nations, Nov 12: A spokesman for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon on Tuesday said that the incident in which a woman was stripped and paraded on a donkey in a Rajasthan village was a matter of concern and hoped it would be investigated.

Replying to a question by a reporter about the Saturday indent, Moon's deputy spokesman, Farhan Haq, said, "At this stage, we're simply aware of the media reports. We would hope that they will be looked into." He added, "It's certainly a cause for concern, because women's rights should be upheld around the world."

A 50-year-old woman in the Thurawad village in Rajsamand district was accused of killing her nephew and a community panchayat (village council) ordered her stripped and paraded on a donkey in retribution. Police said they have arrested 30 people in connection with the incident.

As per media reports, the matter came to light after the victim's husband lodged an FIR, the police on Sunday arrested 30 persons, nine of them from the victim's family. Senior police officers said that the woman has been shifted to a shelter home for the time being and she was being counseled."

The shocking punishment was given to her after the panchayat accused the woman of killing her nephew, Vardi Singh.

As per police officials, Vardi Singh's wife suspected that his aunt had killed him and thus, approached the local community panchayat which after hearing the case publicly declared her guilty and said she should be punished for what she has done.

OneIndia News

(With agency inputs)