Daijiworld Media Network – Ujjain

Ujjain, Jul 2: A woman was allegedly stripped, her hair chopped off, forced to wear a garland of shoes and paraded through a village in Madhya Pradesh's Ujjain district over a property dispute, police said. Three persons have been arrested while eight others remain absconding.

The incident took place on Jun 30 at Arnia Vena village under the Jharda police station limits. A video of the alleged assault surfaced two days later, triggering widespread outrage.

Police have registered a case against 11 persons, including three women, and launched a search for the remaining accused.

According to the police, the woman had earlier been married to another man in the same village but later left him after falling in love with another person. The couple married in 2023 and had been living in a rented house in Indore.

The dispute allegedly began when the woman returned to her husband's ancestral home seeking a share in the family's agricultural land.

In her complaint, the woman alleged that around 9.30 am on Jun 30, several family members broke open the door of a room where she was staying, dragged her out by her hair and assaulted her.

She alleged that the accused repeatedly kicked and punched her while some women restrained her. During the assault, her hair was cut, her clothes were torn and she was stripped before being forced to wear a garland made of shoes and paraded through the village.

Her husband, who allegedly tried to intervene, was also assaulted.

The woman told police that the accused threatened to circulate videos of the incident on social media and kill the couple. She sustained injuries to her eye, head, cheek and abdomen, while her husband suffered injuries to his face, chest and stomach.

The couple later alerted police through the Dial-112 emergency service.

Jharda Police Station in-charge Anand Bhabor said a case has been registered under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including charges related to assault, criminal intimidation, outraging the modesty of a woman and common intention.

Three accused, including Badrilal, have been arrested and remanded to judicial custody. Police teams are searching for the remaining accused, including Sumer Singh and Kachru Singh.

Sub-Divisional Officer of Police Zenden Lingzerpa said preliminary investigation indicated that the violence stemmed from a family dispute over property. He said the complaint names the woman's husband, in-laws, other relatives and some villagers, and action has been initiated against all those accused.