Bihar: Minor Gang Rape Victim's Head Tonsured, Paraded by Panchayat as Punishment

Patna: In a horrific case, a panchayat in a village in Bihar punished a minor victim of gang rape by tonsuring her head and parading her through the village. The victim and her family were also ordered not to go outside the village for twelve days.

The incident took place in a village under Mohanpur block in drought affected Gaya district, about 130 km from Patna.

Shocked by the panchayat’s decision that punished the minor victim of gang rape instead of punishing the accused, her family members approached the Gaya Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Rajiv Mishra. Following this an FIR has been lodged in the case, and the police have been asked to act immediately in the case.

The father of the victim told NewsClick that he first went to the village panchayat for justice after the incident. However, the panchayat held a meeting where they decided to tonsure the victim’s head and paraded her through the village. “It was unbelievable for us, but we were ordered not to move outside the village or approach the local police station,” he said.

However, on Sunday, August 25, the victim along with her parents and a close relative managed to reach Mishra’s residence in Gaya town and narrated her painful story and sought justice.

Also read: Mother and Daughter Tonsured for Opposing Rape Attempt in Bihar

Gaya city Superintendent of Police (SP) Manjeet said a case has been registered in a women’s police station in which six have been accused. The accused includes Devlal Yadav, who has been accused as one of the six who was involved in the gangrape of the minor. The other names in the FIR are those of Dukhan Singh, Kapil Singh, Mahadev Singh and Virendar Singh, who are members of the village panchayat that punished her.

SP Manjeet told NewsClick that so far no arrest has been made and an investigation has been started in the case. “Police will arrest all named accused soon,” he said, adding that the victim’s statement was recorded in the local court on Monday.

According to the mother of victim, on the evening of August 14, her daughter was returning from a nearby village when she was kidnapped by a group of youth in a vehicle. She said, “They took her to the roof top of a local panchayat building and raped her. She was left unconscious until the next day, when a villager spotted her and informed us.”

“My daughter was in pain and not in a position to walk. After we brought her home and consulted a local doctor, she informed me about the incident. She said that she had recognised one of the accused as Devlal Yadav. But when we went to the village panchayat for justice and demanding punishment for accused, they ignored our plea. Instead, they decided to punish my daughter under pressure of the accused as they belong to powerful families,” the victim’s mother said.

She told NewsClick, “Some members of the village panchayat even threatened to kill my daughter if we approach the local police station to complain about the incident. They were keeping close watch on us and our movement in the village.”

Also read: Bihar Village Panchayat Issues Diktat Banning Use of Mobile Phones by Girls

This incident is just a reminder of how village panchayats in Bihar have been taking regressive stand on women’s issues. Just a few months back, a diktat was issued by some village panchayats banning the use of mobile phones and wearing of jeans by girls. Not just that, there were also cases when girls were humiliated and thrashed for complaining against attempts to molest or stalking.