A couple that had eloped was beaten and burnt alive in Bihar's Gaya on the orders of the village panchayat
A man and a teenager who had eloped were beaten mercilessly and set on fire on Wednesday as hundreds watched at a village in Bihar's Gaya.
A 30-year-old man and the girl, 16, were allegedly dragged to a square by 20 of the girl's relatives and thrashed publicly before being killed. Others in the village allegedly watched and chose not to stop them. No one called the police either; the incident was reported by a neighbouring village.
The man was allegedly married and a father of three children, and used to come to the village frequently to visit his in-laws. That is how he had reportedly met the teenager.
The two allegedly ran away three days ago, but were hunted down by the girl's family and brought back to the village on Tuesday.
Only one person has been arrested till now.
The police say an FIR or First Information Report has been filed against 15 people including the girl's father. "As we investigate further, there will be more arrests," Shalin, a senior police officer, told NDTV.
The man's family alleges that the two were killed on the orders of the village panchayat or council.