NHRC notice to Karnataka govt, DGP over woman being stripped, paraded naked in Belagavi

New Delhi: The NHRC has issued a notice to the Karnataka government and the state’s police chief after a 42-year-old woman was allegedly stripped, paraded naked and tied to an electric pole and assaulted in a village in Belagavi district, officials said on Friday.

The purported act, as reported, 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 National Human Rights Commission observed in a statement.

The alleged incident took place on December 11 after the woman’s son eloped with a girl who was going to get engaged with someone else, according to the Karnataka Police.

The NHRC has taken suo motu cognisance of a media report, carried on December 12, that ‘a 42-year-old woman was stripped, paraded naked, tied to an electric pole and assaulted’ in Belagavi district after her son eloped with a girl from the same village.

The Commission has observed that the contents of the news report, if true, raise a serious issue of violation of the human rights of the victim woman. It is the duty of the state to safeguard vulnerable sections of the society, especially women, children and elderly persons, it said.

Accordingly, the Commission has issued notices to the chief secretary and director general of police of Karnataka, seeking a detailed report within four weeks, officials said.

‘It should include the status of the registration of FIR, progress in investigation, arrest, if any, compensation under the Victim Compensation Scheme, if paid, and the steps taken or to be taken to prevent such incidents in the state.

‘Considering the gravity of the matter, the Commission has also asked its DIG, Investigation to constitute a team to conduct an on-spot fact-finding inquiry at the earliest and submit a report, within two weeks,’ it said.