The police in southern Assam’s Karimganj district arrested 19 people, including women, on Saturday for assaulting and stripping a woman and stuffing chilli powder in her private parts for allegedly selling illicit liquor and indulging in what they called “immoral activities”.
The incident happened on September 10, but the victim approached a local court on Thursday after a video of the incident was circulated on social media. She did not name anyone in the complaint.
“A police team raided Magura, a remote tribal village on the Assam-Mizoram border at 5 a.m. today (Saturday) and arrested the 19. They include three who appear prominently in the video and are directly involved,” Karimganj Superintendent of Police Gaurav Upadhyay told The Hindu .
The victim and the arrested belong to the same village, he said.
‘More arrests soon’
“We are continuing our raids and more arrests are expected to be made soon. We are investigating into what led to the attack. The villagers said they had been warning the woman not to sell illegal brew. They also accused her of encouraging immoral activities,” Mr. Upadhyay said.
Demanded money
The woman, however, told the court that six men barged into her house and demanded the ₹85,000 that she had received under the Centre’s flagship Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. She said the men stripped and tortured her, besides tying up her father-in-law, when she refused to give the money.
The men relented and left only after she promised to give them the money, she said, adding she did not go to the police as the six men had warned her of dire consequences.
