West Bengal: Woman beaten up, hair cut off over ‘affair’, seven held

SEVEN PERSONS were arrested for allegedly beating up a 30-year-old woman and chopping her hair off in Jalpaiguri district, police said on Thursday. According to sources, local residents tortured her on suspicion of having an “illicit relationship”. Her husband was also tied to a tree by the suspects. Police came to know about the issue as a video of the purported incident surfaced on social media.

Some of the villagers alleged that the woman had an “extramarital affair with a local youth”, police sources said. They (villagers) held a meeting to discuss the matter. The alleged incident occurred when the woman was returning home with her husband after attending the meeting. According to sources, some local residents accosted the couple. They tied the husband to a tree and beat up the woman. They also allegedly cut her hair allegedly to “teach her a lesson”, the sources said.

“As soon as we received a complaint, an FIR was registered. Seven persons have been arrested,” Jalpaiguri Superintendent of Police Debarshi Dutta told The Indian Express. According to sources, the accused persons have been booked for assault and molestation, among other relevant charges.

Recently, a tribal woman was allegedly paraded naked and beaten up by villagers for “leaving her husband for another man” in Alipurduar district. The accused persons were later arrested. The National Commission of Women (NCW) on Tuesday took cognizance of this incident. NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma wrote to the police seeking a report on the issue.