Tribal woman stripped, tonsured for marrying out of caste

In a shocking incident, a 19-year-old tribal woman was allegedly stripped and her head tonsured at a village in Maharashtra’s Thane for marrying outside her caste, the police said.

In a shocking incident, a 19-year-old tribal woman was allegedly stripped and her head tonsured at a village in Maharashtra’s Thane for marrying outside her caste, the police said.

The woman, in her complaint filed at Padgha police station in Shahapur taluka of Thane district on Saturday, stated that her “in-laws stripped her, tonsured her head and also severely beat her up on August 30, as they were against her marriage with their son Yogesh Patil”.

The victim mentioned in her complaint that she came to Yogesh while working as a packer at a godown in Bhiwandi town of Thane district. Despite opposition from his family, she and Yogesh got married in May this year and were living at her parent's house in Pali village of Dabhade in Bhiwandi taluka.

On August 30, when the couple was on their way back to the woman’s house, Yogesh's family members forcibly took both of them to their home at Maide in Bhiwandi.

They tied the couple at the entrance of their home and then allegedly stripped the woman and tonsured her head, according to her police complaint.

The complaint also mentioned that one of Yogesh's brothers took their photographs on his mobile phone after they were "punished" and threatened to circulate them.

Later, Maide village sarpanch Santosh Patil rescued the woman and the couple was taken to Padgha police station, where it was decided that they would live separately.

Padgha police said offences under sections 498(a) (cruelty), 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 353, 504, 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC and relevant sections of Prevention of Atrocities on SC and ST Act, 1989, have been registered against Yogesh, his parents Madhukar Patil and Malti Patil and his elder brother.

No arrests have been made so far in the case, police added.