india

Updated: Feb 09, 2014 11:34 IST

A man from Rajasthan’s Nagaur district was kidnapped and taken to a Haryana village where he was put through torture and humiliation, allegedly on the orders of a khap panchayat.

The 22-year-old victim was allegedly taken to Odhan village in Haryana’s Sirsa district by men who owed him money. There, he was kept in a cage for three months, a period in which he was sodomised and forced to drink his own urine. The allegations were made after the family rescued him and approached the police.

Four accused -- Shankar Nath, Dilip Nath, Arjun Nath and Chotu Nath – were arrested after the intervention of a local court.

READ: Khap panchayats not a part of Indian culture: Chidambaram

Police, however, claim another angle to the story, saying the allegations could not be corroborated by any witnesses, a version contested by the victim. “He was not abducted but was taken by his community members as he eloped with a woman from Odhan village,” said sun-inspector Badri Lal, the case investigating officer.

Vijendra Singh, the victim’s lawyer, said the Rajasthan resident had in October last year given Rs 3 lakh to two men from Odhan in a deal to arrange his marriage. But, Singh alleges, the men got away with the money.

READ: AAP defends existence of Khap Panchayats

The Naths failed to find a girl and the victim demanded his money back and, according to the lawyer, after much persistence he was asked to come to Odhan where he was finally introduced to a woman as his match. But as he made his way back home, he was abducted somewhere in Rajasthan.

“During my captivity, I was subjected to repeated sodomy and made to drink urine instead of water,” the victim told HT, adding that he had been kept caged like an animal and once paraded across the village on a donkey.

They (police) have ignored every evidence and eyewitness who have gone on record, the lawyer said, adding that medical reports lend credence to his client’s allegations.

READ:Haryana khaps vague on honour killing, blame media for ‘negative branding’