Indian woman paraded naked by husband: Blow to women’s rights

In a shocking and horrific incident in India, a 21-year-old pregnant woman was stripped naked and paraded in a village in Pratapgarh district in Rajasthan by her husband. 

The incident came into light after a video went viral on social media. The shocking incident occurred on Thursday in Pratapgarh district’s Nichalkota village of Pahada Gram Panchayat. The woman’s husband and in-laws allegedly beat her and paraded her naked, police said on Friday.

According to Director General of Police (DGP) Umesh Mishra, the woman’s husband even shot the video and uploaded it on social media. Subsequently, the woman went to a police station and filed a complaint against 10 people, including her husband and father-in-law.

Police arrests the accused

The Rajasthan police arrested three people the woman’s husband Kanha Meena, and his two aides Nathu Meena and Beliya Meena on Friday night. After the interrogation, the police also arrested six more people. The three main accused also broke their legs while trying to flee. They were taken to the district hospital.

The police filed a case against the accused under section 509 (insulting the modesty of a woman), 498 (taking away a married woman forcefully), and 354 A (punishment for a man who engages in explicit sexual behavior) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). A case was also filed under section 67 of the Information Technology Act (punishment for publishing obscene material on the internet). 

What happened to the woman?

Additional director general of police (ADG) (crime) Dinesh MN said that her husband, in-laws, and a few neighbours paraded her naked to take revenge from her. 

The woman was allegedly in a relationship with another man identified as Shiva, who lived three kilometres away from her in-law’s place. The woman’s husband found her from another man’s place on Thursday. He was filled with anger and beat her severely. She was also beaten by the perpetrators during the incident. The inspector general of police (IGP) in Banswara range, S Parimala said, “The woman was pregnant while being paraded naked.”

Nation in shock

In the viral video, the woman’s husband was seen stripping her clothes. The viral video sparked outrage on social media, with many people condemning the incident.

A social media user wrote on X, previously Twitter, “Heartbreaking and shameful news from Rajasthan. Where a woman was openly stripped, and bystanders chose to record videos instead of helping.”

Ashok Gehlot, the Chief Minister of Rajasthan, condemned the incident. He ordered the DGP to take strict action against the accused.