Karnataka: Police inspector suspended for ‘dereliction of duty’ in Belagavi stripping incident

The shocking incident took place on December 11 in Vantamuri village of Belagavi district, when the woman was tied to an electric pole and assaulted by locals.

Updated on: Dec 16, 2023, 10:29:08 IST

By Yamini C S

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In the recent Belagavi incident wherein a 42-year-old woman was stripped and paraded naked in a village after her son eloped with a girl, a police inspector from the Kakati police station has been suspended, news agency ANI reported.

The incident also spurred a political slugfest in the southern state, with the ruling Congress and the opposition BJP butting heads. (ANI)

The officer has been identified as Vijaykumar Sinnur and has been suspended for “dereliction of duty”, SN Siddaramappa, the IG and CP of Belagavi City, told the agency.

ALSO READ | NHRC notice to Karnataka govt, DGP over woman being stripped, paraded naked in village

This comes after the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) took suo motu cognisance of a media report on the issue and issued notices to the Karnataka government as well as the DGP of the state. It stated that the purported act seems to have a "stereotyped patriarchal approach", which is a clear demonstration of the violation of the right to life and dignity of the victim.

The shocking incident took place on December 11 in the Vantamuri village of Belagavi district, when the woman was tied to an electric pole and assaulted by locals after her son eloped with a girl who was going to get engaged with someone else. This spurred a political slugfest in the southern state, with the ruling Congress and the opposition BJP butting heads.

ALSO READ | Sitharaman hits out at Congress over assault on woman in Belagavi

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also took note of the matter, saying that there is no “nyay” (justice) for the SCs and STs in the state, where the Siddaramaiah-led government is in power.

“In @INCIndia there is no ‘nyay’ for the SCs and STs. The recent incident in Belgavi, Karnataka falls in the same category as those repeated atrocities against the Dalits seen till recently in Congress-ruled Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh,” she wrote in a social media post on Friday.

Further probe is underway and more details are awaited.

(With inputs from ANI)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yamini C S
Yamini CS is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. She is part of the India News desk, where she works on a wide range of stories cutting across civic issues, city-based developments, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics, and international affairs that have an impact on India. Her role involves tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and on-ground sources, and presenting news in a clear, accessible format for a digital-first audience. A significant part of her work includes handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court verdicts, political developments, civic disruptions, protests, weather-related alerts, and unfolding national or international incidents. Through live coverage, she focuses on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they evolve. Before moving to the broader India News desk, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru desk at Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances, and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her grounding in city reporting and sharpened her focus on citizen-centric journalism. She began her career as a correspondent with Reuters after completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continue to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading across genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which help her maintain balance in a fast-paced newsroom environment.Read More

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