By Express News Service

BHOPAL: A shocking episode of savagery with a young tribal girl by her kin and community members over her love affair with a Dalit youth has come to the fore in West Madhya Pradesh’s Dhar district.

The chilling episode happened in a village in Bag police station area of tribal-dominated Dhar district on June 25, but it came to light three days later on Friday, after the video of the cruel incident went viral over social media.

The Bagh police immediately swung into action and with the help of the picture of the pick-up vehicle from which the girl was pulled out by her uncle, brothers, cousins and other members of the community, identified the spot of the incident.

The probe revealed that the girl was a 21-year-old tribal girl who had recently eloped with a Dalit youth she loved. The police managed to track the love-birds within a few days, after which the girl was taken home by her family.

Subsequently, her kin started pressurizing her to marry a boy from their Bhilala tribe, but the girl remained hell-bent at marrying the youth of her choice. Peeved over it, her uncle, brothers and cousins brought the girl in a pick-up vehicle and pulled her out in an open space on June 25.

She was subsequently flogged with sticks by her brothers, cousins and other members of the community mercilessly, even as she cried for help. The girl was pulled from hair, held by the attackers with hands and legs and then flogged with sticks all over the body. The assaulters also kicked, punched and slapped her while beating her beyond imagination – all for loving a Dalit youth and refusing to marry a tribal youth.

According to Bagh police station in-charge Kamlesh Singar, “the police have lodged a case under Sections 323, 294, 506, 147, 148, 307, 354 and 34 of IPC against seven accused who have been identified to be involved in the cruelty with the girl. Four of them have been arrested.”

The incident happened a few days after young love-birds (both tribals) were tied to wooden poles and beaten by the girl’s family in Kund village of tribal-dominated Alirajpur district for falling in love against their wishes.