Relatives shave woman's head and beat her because she denounced her nephew's sexual harassment

A woman in the Indian state of Kannauj was publicly beaten and her head shaved after she reportedly complained to her family that her nephew was sexually harassing her. A video of the incident was posted on social media and caught the attention of police. Six people, including the woman's husband, were arrested and a case was registered, according to the Kannauj police commissioner. Said Amit Kumar Anand.

Details of the incident

According to police, the incident took place on September 3 in Bishungarh village when the woman complained to her family that her nephew Raja Nath was sexually harassing her. Instead of getting help, she was physically assaulted and her head was shaved.

A disturbing video of the incident posted on X (Twitter) shows the woman, half-naked and with her limbs tied, being brutally beaten outside the house as a crowd gathers to watch. Several men take turns hitting her. The woman can be seen wincing in pain and screaming for help.

The woman is seen collapsing as her family beats her, but no bystander intervenes in the attack. The police took note of the incident and arrested six of her family members, according to the Indo-Asian Intelligence Service. A complaint was filed against the attack.

UP: SP Amit Kumar Anand from Kannauj says, “A video showing the assault on a woman is circulating. It is to be noted that under section Vishnu of the relevant laws, a complaint was received on September 3, 2014, mentioning that a nephew had cut the hair of a woman… pic.twitter.com/yOg7c7FNqq

— IANS (@ians_india) 6 September 2024

Similar incident: Chennai couple allegedly beaten by police for complaining about their 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 had to remain at the station until the early hours of August 31. According to a report in the Times of IndiaThe survivor witnessed the abuse of her parents in the presence of the accused Sathish, a water canister delivery man from the neighbourhood.

Sathish is yet to be arrested though the FIR was registered on August 31, the report said. TOI reported that Police Inspector Raji demanded the girl's identity card to “interrogate” the child, despite this being against the rules. Moreover, no mandatory counselling was organised for the girl by either the District Child Protection Officer (DCPO) or anyone from the Child Welfare Committee (CWC).