In yet another case of inhumanity of the most extreme kinds, a woman was tied to a tree and publicly assaulted for six hours straight for daring to defy the patriarchy. Her ‘fault’? She had filed a criminal case against three men of her village six years ago in West Bengal’s Malda district and refused to withdraw it.
The 40-year-old woman was tied to the tree for entering her village defying the diktat of a kangaroo court, police said. On being informed, police rushed to Amritibattoli village in English Bazar police station area and rescued Ajeda Bibi. She was later admitted to Malda Medical College and Hospital.
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The woman had in 2009 lodged a police complaint in her capacity as in-charge of a child education centre against some youths after construction material was found stolen from the school compound. Following this, Bibi was threatened. A kangaroo court s et up at the insistence of the accused youths barred her from entering the village. Since then, she had been residing at another place, police said. The woman was later spotted at a marriage reception in neighbouring Milki village. She was asked by the elders of her village to pay a fine of Rs 10,000 if she wanted to return. The woman came back to Amritibattoli but refused to pay the fine. Villagers on the direction of the kangaroo court then tied her to a tree, police said.
(Images sourced from Reuters)
