In a shocking display of barbarity in Chhattisgarh’s Pendara region, a 35-year-old widow faced Taliban-style punishment for her romantic involvement with a married man. Enraged family members of her lover dragged her out, thrashed her with shoes, smeared cow dung on her body, stripped her naked, and paraded her through the village. The incident has left the community on edge, with tensions running high.
The victim, a resident of Raniip village under Khodri police chowki, lost her husband about a year ago. Soon after, she began a relationship with 35-year-old Hari Prasad Rathore, a married man from the same village. Last October 29, the couple eloped and hid in Malachhwa village in Madhya Pradesh’s Shahdol district.
They returned to the village last Friday, sparking immediate conflict. Police intervened, summoning both parties to the chowki. During mediation, the woman firmly stated her desire to stay with Hari Prasad.
But the very next morning, around 10 AM on Saturday, Hari Prasad’s wife Saroj Rathore, brother Manoj, and Yashoda Rathore stormed the widow’s home with others. They forcibly pulled her out, beat her mercilessly with footwear, tore off her clothes, applied cow dung all over her body, and marched her naked through the streets. Villagers describe the scene as utterly dehumanizing.
Local residents and the victim’s family eventually rescued her from the mob. Police rushed the injured woman to a hospital and registered a case against Saroj, Manoj, and Yashoda Rathore under serious charges including assault, humiliation, and unlawful assembly.
This gruesome episode exposes deep-seated patriarchal attitudes in rural India, where women’s personal choices are met with vigilante violence. Authorities must ensure swift justice to prevent further unrest and send a strong message against such atrocities. The village remains tense as investigations continue.