A video of the 'punishment' has gone viral on social media.
In a viral video from Bihar, a man is seen doing sit-ups in front of a crowd. Five sit-ups were his “sentence” for allegedly raping a five-year-old girl.
The video is from a village in Bihar's Nawada district.
The man allegedly took the child to his poultry farm with the promise of chocolates and raped her. When the man was caught and produced before the village council, or panchayat, the elders decided not to turn in him and pronounced their own verdict. The man was not guilty of rape, they decided. They only punished him for taking the girl to a secluded spot.
A video of the “punishment” has sparked outrage on social media, with many calling it out as proof of patriarchy and skewed justice in rural India.
Users flagged the video to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his deputy Tejashwi Yadav, demanding to know whether the state government would allow the crime to go unpunished.
Superintendent Of Police Gaurav Mangla said that an FIR has been registered and action will be taken against the accused. The police are also investigating those who tried to suppress the incident, he said.