“The video of a purported incident, wherein a woman was seen paraded, was also made viral by the accused persons,” SSP Ashwani Kapur was quoted as saying.

Here’s all we know about the case:

1. The victim’s son had married a girl against the wishes of the bride’s parents. The son’s in-laws allegedly assaulted his mother to avenge the marriage.

The victim said in a complaint that she was alone at her home when her son’s in-laws allegedly assaulted her and tore off her clothes. “They paraded her in the village in a semi-naked condition,” the victim alleged.

Meanwhile, Tarn Taran‘s Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ashwani Kapur said the victim was alone at her home when Kulwinder Kaur (mother of the girl), along with her brothers Gurcharan and a family friend Sunny Singh, and one unknown person came to her house to avenge the marriage.

“Following heated arguments, they started assaulting her and also tore off her clothes,” Kapur added.

2. Based on the complaint, an FIR was registered on April 3 under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 354B (assault or use of criminal force to woman with intent to disrobe), 354D (stalking), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 149 (unlawful assembly). Later, the police also added sections 67 and 67-A of the IT Act in the FIR.

ALSO READ: British actor Russell Brand accused of rape and sexual assault

3. Four people, including a woman, were arrested for allegedly assaulting the victim, police said on Saturday. “The accused will be produced in a court to seek their remand and the mobile phone used to make the video has also been seized,” police told PTI.

“Those arrested have been identified as Kulwinder Kaur, Gurcharan Singh, and Sharanjit Singh alias Sunny, all residents of Jivan Nagar in Valtoha, and Sunny of village Abadi Amarkot Amirke in Tarn Taran,” SSP Kapur, was quoted by news agency ANI as saying.

He said that further investigations are on and the remaining accused will be arrested soon.

4. Punjab Commission of Women chief Raj Lali Gill condemned the incident and said that this is a very shameful incident for the entire state. “A woman’s modesty has been compromised on the streets by parading her half-naked. She kept begging for help and looking for places to hide herself. This is a family affair,” Gill told ANI.

She said the victim’s son married their neighbour’s daughter in court. “The girl’s family was against this marriage and reached the boy’s house, and the two families indulged in a heated argument,” Gill said.

“Things escalated, and the girl’s family attacked the boy’s mother and tore her clothes. One boy out of them started filming a video of the boy’s mother after her clothes were torn. This is a very shameful incident for the entire state. The Women’s Commission stands with the victim,” she added.

Meanwhile, National Commission for Women (NCW) chief Rekha Sharma said, “Nobody came forward to help her — neither police nor the locals. This is a shocking incident and the NCW has taken a suo moto cognizance of the matter. I am sending a member to enquire into the matter. If the police do not take any step against the perpetrators, the NCW will write to the ECI [Elections Commission of India] keeping in mind the Model Code of Conduct…”

5. BJP leader SS Channy said the current Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab “has failed to protect the rights of women”. He said Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann “has shown Taliban is there in Afghanistan, now the same Taliban is here in Punjab…”

“Moreover, ever since the incident occurred, no one took any action. The woman has been running from pillar to post but no one listened to her… The CM [Bhagwant Mann] of the state has more time and energy to seek an appointment with his party supremo [Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convernor Arvind Kejriwal] in Delhi’s Tihar Jail, but has no time to take care of his state affairs,” Channy said.

Milestone Alert!
Livemint tops charts as the fastest growing news website in the world 🌏 Click here to know more.

Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it’s all here, just a click away! Login Now!

Published: 06 Apr 2024, 10:57 PM IST