- Couple publicly humiliated in West Bengal's West Midnapore district.
- Tied to a pole, woman's face smeared with lime by locals.
- Police rescued them, investigation launched into moral policing incident.
A man and a woman were subjected to public humiliation in West Bengal's West Midnapore district after they were tied together to a pole. The two were allegedly in a relationship.
The incident reportedly took place in Gonsai Bazar under Chandrakona municipality in the Joharpukur area. The incident triggered a massive controversy over the alleged moral policing.
Soon after getting the information, the cops rushed to the site and rescued the man and woman. They were taken to the police station thereafter. The police have launched an investigation into the matter to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the incident.
According to a report by Times Now, the woman's husband had died by suicide a few months ago, and she subsequently started inviting the man, described by residents as a lover, to her house.
As some of her in-laws and neighbours came to know about this, tension reportedly escalated in the locality. They caught the two and tied them to a pole in public view. In a humiliating act, they smeared lime on her face before police intervened.
The report cited some of the neighbours, who claimed that the woman and her husband used to quarrel frequently, which had left him distressed.
Although there is no evidence to link the dispute to his suicide, the neighbours alleged that it may be a contributing factor.
The case of moral policing came in the wake of a molestation case in Jamui, where a minor girl was harassed and her male friend was assualted by some men. The case sparked an outcry after the video of the incident had gone viral on social media. The prime accused in the case, Nandan Yadav, was arrested and subsequently shot in the leg while he tried to escape from the police custody.
On Thursday, another similar case came to light when a girl was molested by a group of men in Bihar's Samsatipur. The incidents have led to conerns of women safety from such molestation cases on the named of moral policing.