Tribal woman’s naked-parading sparks political spat in Rajasthan

Facing flak from the Opposition BJP over a tribal woman being paraded naked in Dhariyavad in Pratapgarh district of Rajasthan, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Saturday (September 2) announced he would visit the district in the evening to meet the victim’s family.

According to media reports, a tribal woman was beaten, stripped naked, and paraded through her village, allegedly by her husband, on Thursday (August 31). The horrific incident has raised a political storm in the state after a video, in which a man was seen stripping the 21-year-old woman in public and parading her naked through the village, appeared on social media.

BJP attack

Taking a strong exception to the shocking incident, the BJP mounted a blistering attack on the Congress government in Rajasthan. Party president JP Nadda on Saturday (September 2) lashed out at the state government, alleging that “governance (in the state) is totally absent”.

“The video from Pratapgarh, Rajasthan is shocking. What is worse is governance in Rajasthan is totally absent. The CM and ministers are busy settling factional squabbles, and the remaining time is spent appeasing one dynasty in Delhi. It's no wonder the issue of women's safety is being completely ignored in the state,” Nadda posted on social media site X, formerly Twitter.

“Every single day, there is an instance of harassment against women. The people of Rajasthan will teach the state government a lesson,” Nadda added.

His party colleague, Union Minister Gajendra Singh Sekhawat, referred to the Manipur incident and asked if Rahul Gandhi would seek Gehlot's resignation and demand President's rule in Rajasthan.

“In Rajasthan, all the limits of inhumanity on women have been crossed. In Dhariyavad, a woman has been stripped and beaten, the video of which is viral, but Gehlot ji, who makes tall claims on women's safety, is the Chief Minister and Home Minister of which state? Two days have passed, and the police have not even prepared the report! The hypocrisy of the Congress has been exposed now. Where is Rahul Gandhi? When will he come to Dhariyavad? When will he seek Ashok Gehlot's resignation and demand President's rule in Rajasthan?” the Union minister said in a tweet on X.

11 held

Gehlot condemned the shocking incident in a tweet late on Friday (September 1) night and said, “In Pratapgarh district, a video of a woman being stripped naked by her in-laws due to a family dispute with her in-laws has surfaced. The Director General of Police has been instructed to send the ADG (Crime) to the spot and take the strictest action in this matter. There is no place for such criminals in a civilized society. These criminals will be put behind bars as soon as possible and will be tried and punished in the fast track court.”

Seven people have been arrested so far in the case, including the woman's husband, the police said. Four people have been detained.

The woman was allegedly kidnapped by her in-laws, who were unhappy over her live-in relationship with another man, and taken to their village where she was beaten before being paraded naked, Rajasthan’s Director General of Police (DGP) Umesh Mishra told the media.

“Prompt action” 

Appreciating the prompt action, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Saturday said the state government took prompt action to arrest the criminals and announced to punish them after trial in a fast-track court.

In a post in Hindi on X, Priyanka said it is very important to take prompt and strict action in incidents of crimes against women and punish the criminals. “The Rajasthan government has taken prompt action to arrest the criminals and announced to get them punished after trial in a fast-track court,” she said.

Elections to the state assembly in Rajasthan are due in November this year, and the BJP is leaving no stone unturned to corner the Congress government in the state.

(With agency inputs)