A video of the attack was shared widely on social media
A woman and a man in Assam's Baksa district were stripped naked and mercilessly beaten up by a mob on the suspicion that they had an illicit affair. The extremely disturbing attack, captured on cellphone cameras, has been shared widely on social media.
The attack took place on April 6; the victims today filed a police complaint and an investigation has been launched.
"Whenever the relatives or any guest come, they stay in our one room house. So when our guest came, some locals rushed inside home, they forcefully stripped us naked at night, beat us up. They started beating us and making videos, no one came to help. I am under mental trauma, today I gathered courage and have lodged a FIR," the victim told reporters.
This brutal attack comes close on the heels of yet another incident of 'moral policing' in the state. A
22-year-old woman was assaulted by a group of men when she was going with a male friend, who is a Muslim, in Goalpara district of Assam. 12 people were arrested.
The incident also brings back haunting memories of November 24, 2007, when a young Adivasi woman was forcibly stripped naked, thrashed and paraded by a violent mob on the streets of Guwahati.
In the past one month, Assam has witnessed a series of rapes, including those of minors.
In the wake of increasing crimes against women, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal had launched '181-Sakhi', a toll-free helpline number for women last month.