Wednesday, August 11, 2010

The Women's Commission in the Indian state of West Bengal has announced an inquiry into allegations that a tribal woman was forced to parade naked

Officials say she was forced to walk without her clothes for nearly 6 miles through three villages and was filmed on a mobile phone. They say that she was also molested and jeered by a large crowd. Locals say she was being punished because of an illicit love affair with a man from a different community. A similar thing happened to another woman a few years ago in the neighboring state of Assam. Critics say that it was only after mobile phone clips of the woman went into wide circulation that the police swung into action. Six of the men who allegedly molested her have been arrested. What has especially upset many is the involvement of locally powerful people - alongside schoolboys - in the incident. The village council chief, Mangal Baske, said he did not report the incident to police because of pressure from the villagers.

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