A Dalit woman in Madhya Pradesh had her nose cut for allegedly refusing work (Representational)

A Dalit woman in Madhya Pradesh had her nose cut for allegedly refusing work offered by an upper caste family. Two men took an axe to Janki Bai, a resident of Raza village, on Tuesday. They also attacked her husband, and beat him up."They deliberately hit my wife with an axe on the nose," said Raghvendra, Janaki Bai's husband.Janaki Bai was asked to spray pesticides at Narendra Singh's fields, a task she had refused. The woman said Narendra Singh and his father Saheb Singh then beat her up.When they decided to complain to the police, a stronger retaliation came.The accused allegedly stopped the couple near their home while they were on way to the police station and beat them up again. They also cut her nose with an axe, the couple claimed."The men came and hit my husband with a stick," Janaki Bai said.Both men have been arrested and the police are investigating the matter.

The state government, however, has dismissed the case as a dispute between two families. "There was a conflict between two groups. The fight became violent and they cut off the nose of the woman with an axe. This was not intentional and investigation is going on," said state home minister Bhupendra Singh.The woman has been hospitalised for treatment.