Woman assaulted, burnt alive in Aravalli village

PALANPUR: A 50-year-old woman and a mother of six was brutally assaulted and burnt to death in the remote village of Helodar in Aravalli district on Sunday. Her fault lay in her being a paternal aunt of a boy from Rohit community named Bipin, who had eloped with a girl Rita from the same community. The family of the girl was opposed to the union.
Sources said the couple had been having an affair and had eloped some days ago.Police sources said Kokila was dragged out of her house, gagged and beaten up before being doused with kerosene and set aflame. She died while being treated at a hospital in Ahmedabad on Sunday and was cremated on Monday in her village.
In her dying declaration, she allegedly told the police that no one came forward to save her as 14 people from Rita's family assaulted her. Two of them held her arms as kerosene was poured on her. The crowd that had assembled at the site was threatened with dire consequences by the accused.
Sub-inspector at Malpur V L Patel, who has been camping in the village along with a dozen other police personnel, said probe is on against all the 14 accused. None of them have been arrested as yet. The incident has sent across shock waves in the region. "The situation in the village is under control and no untoward incident has been reported," said S P at Aravalli Mayur Chawda. He said ample police force has been deployed to maintain law and order.
Those named as accused are the girl's father Kala, Punji, Rashmika, Kali, Ganga, Manu, Jassu, Parshottam, Babu, Parma, Dahya, Mula, Vinu and Bhavesh.