Relatives Shave Woman's Head, Beat Her For Calling Out Nephew's Sexual Harassment

A woman in Uttar Pradesh's Kannauj was publically thrashed and had her head shaved after she allegedly complained to her family that she was sexually harassed by her nephew. A video of the incident was posted to social media, catching the attention of the police. Six people, including the woman’s husband, have been arrested and a case has been registered, Kannauj Superintendant of Police Amit Kumar Anand said.

Details Of The Incident

According to the police, the incident happened in the Bishungarh village on September 3 when the woman went to complain to her family that her nephew, Raja Nath, had been sexually harassing her. Instead of receiving support, she was physically assaulted and had her head shaved.

A disturbing video of the incident posted on X (Twitter) shows the woman, semi-undressed with her limbs tied up, getting brutally beaten outside the house while a crowd gathers to watch. Several men take turns to beat her. The woman can be seen wincing in pain and crying for help.

The woman can be seen collapsing as her family beats her, however, no onlooker intervenes in the assault. The police took cognisance of the matter and arrested six of her family members, according to the Indo-Asian News Service. A complaint has been registered against the assault.

UP: SP Amit Kumar Anand of Kannauj says, "A video showing the assault of a woman is being circulated. It should be noted that under Section Vishnu of the relevant laws, a complaint was received on September 3, 2014, in which it was mentioned that a nephew had cut the hair of a… pic.twitter.com/yOg7c7FNqq

— IANS (@ians_india) September 6, 2024

Similar Incident: Chennai Couple Allegedly Beaten By Police For Complaining About Daughter's Rape

A Chennai couple who went to the police station to file a rape complaint for their 10-year-old daughter were allegedly beaten by a police inspector and made to stay at the station till the early hours of Aug 31. According to a report in the Times of India, the survivor stood witness to the ill-treatment of her parents in the presence of the accused, Sathish, a water can supplier in the neighbourhood.

Sathish is yet to be arrested though the FIR was registered on Aug 31, the report stated. TOI reported that the police inspector, Raji, demanded the girl's identity card to the station to hold an 'inquiry' with the child despite it being against the rules. Moreover, no mandated counselling has been set up for the girl by the District Child Protection Officer (DCPO) or anyone from the Child Welfare Committee (CWC).