Six sentenced to 7 years in jail for parading woman naked in Panchmahal

Vadodara: In a chilling reminder of the cruelty that can unfold in the name of family honour, six persons, including five women, were sentenced to seven years in jail by a sessions court in Panchmahal on Saturday. They had stripped a 52-year-old woman and paraded her through her village in full public view.The disturbing incident took place in Feb 2024 in a village in Morva Hadaf taluka in Panchmahal district. Its roots lay in a young couple’s decision to elope. The woman’s son had entered into a relationship with a girl from the same village. This had enraged the girl’s family, whose members descended upon the young man’s parental home and unleashed their fury on his parents.“Both the father and the mother of the young man were severely assaulted. Five women from the girl’s family then stripped the 52-year-old mother and took her out in the village. They paraded her and later tied her to a tree with a rope. The incident had led to an outrage in the district,” said public prosecutor Rakesh Thakor.Following the incident, Panchmahal police registered a case against six accused on charges relating to outraging a woman’s modesty, using criminal force with the intent to disrobe her and wrongful confinement.After hearing the case, the sessions court found all six guilty and sentenced Shankar Valvai, Savita Valvai, Nanda Makwana, Sumitra Valvai, Kailas Valvai and Manjula Valvai to seven years of imprisonment. The court also imposed a collective penalty of Rs 66,000 on the convicts.Public prosecutor Thakor said sessions court judge Nipa Raval observed that such incidents had no place in society and could not be permitted.Meanwhile, there was a reconciliation in the family dispute that had triggered the violence. The eloped couple eventually returned to the village after their respective families reached a compromise and accepted their marriage. Yet, the reconciliation could not erase the brutality inflicted upon a woman who was made to bear the consequences of a young couple’s choice.You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Vadodara | Silver Rate in Vadodara | Bank Holidays in Vadodara | Public Holidays in Vadodara | Vadodara AQI | Weather in Vadodara | Petrol Price in Vadodara | Diesel Price in Vadodara | CNG Price in Vadodara | LPG Price in VadodaraStay updated with the latest Vadodara news. Download the TOI App.