The panchayat told her she could stay with her husband only if she walked carrying him on her shoulders.
A 32-year-old tribal woman was allegedly made to carry her husband on her shoulders for nearly two km in Khedi village, 400 km from state capital Bhopal, as "punishment" for "eloping" with another man. The woman, Dhanna, was allegedly beaten up by her husband and some villagers before she carried him on her shoulders.
None of the villagers helped the woman and filmed the entire episode on their mobile phones. A video of the incident, which occurred on Sunday, has since gone viral.
According to her husband Dhuma, Dhanna had gone missing on October 28 and a few days later was found at another man's house, the police said. Dhuma and his family then persuaded her to return home.
However, once back a family panchayat was held in the village where she was told that she could stay with Dhuma only if she walked two kilometres carrying her husband on her shoulders. She accepted the punishment out of fear.
Later, Dhanna told her brother about the incident who filed a complaint. The police booked six persons and have already arrested four of them, Superintendent of Police Mahesh Chandra Jain said today.
The woman's husband had also filed a complaint stating that his wife had "eloped" with another man. However, she was "brought back" to the village, dominated by Bhil community, after "mediation" on Saturday, said Pitol police post in charge Naveen Pathak.