This story is from July 4, 2016

'They made me run for 2-3 km like a horse with husband on my back'

Sitting on a charpoy under the asbestos roof of her house in Nal Ka Guda, a hamlet about 130km from Udaipur, Shanta Meena runs a finger over the purple-blue marks on her arms.
'They made me run for 2-3 km like a horse with husband on my back'
Shanta being consoled by her mother.
Udaipur: Sitting on a charpoy under the asbestos roof of her house in Nal Ka Guda, a hamlet about 130km from Udaipur, Shanta Meena runs a finger over the purple-blue marks on her arms. It's been two weeks since she was stripped, forced to carry her husband on her back, tied up and beaten by the rest of the villagers, and the marks, both physical and psychological, seem to her like they'll never fade.

"I still feel the dirty hands creeping all over my body. Maybe it wouldn't hurt so much if they were outsiders. The first one to de-robe me was the man who once vowed to protect me -my husband," says Shanta, 25.
Tired of being ill-treated, Shanta left her husband, Bhanwarlal, and eloped with her live-in partner Laluram on June 14. The two were brought back to Kasotia village by the community on June 20. They were then stripped, paraded and tied up and held hostage for two days in Kasotia village because they hadn't sought permission from the elders to start a live-in relationship.
In the Meena tribe, which all three belong to, the 'nata' custom allows a person to leave a spouse if he or she wishes but only after he or she pays the former spouse 'compensation'. In this case, ruled the elders, Shanta had not compensated Bhanwarlal and informed them of her decision.
Also both men are from the same gotra, which made the second relationship unacceptable as per social norms.
Less than a week after they fled to Bhatewar, a mob turned up at their doorstep."There were 25-30 people who dragged us out of the house in Bhatewar. We were thrown into a loading tempo and men sat on our backs. They abused, kicked and hit us brutally as we begged for our lives. When I shouted out for help, they turned up the music so that no one would hear me," says Shanta.

The men stopped at a field on the outskirts of Kasotia village. "They were mad with rage. Someone suggested stripping us and the rest shouted their agreement. I fell at their feet for mercy but no one listened," she says. "Bhanwarlal pounced and tore off my blouse. I shut my eyes in fear when people ripped away the rest of my clothes. There were elders from the village who I have called 'kaka' and 'mama', but all of them ridi culed us as we stood bare before them," she says.
Men, young and old, fingered and poked her private parts. "They made Bhanwarlal mount my shoulders and forced me to run. They chased me and whenever I stopped for breath, they whipped my buttocks. I must have run two or three kilometres like a horse," she says, an involuntary shiver racking her.
Later, the couple was taken to the village temple and tied up together to a tree. "They clicked pictures. Even women holding their babies hit me. In the evening, I was locked up in a room," Shanta says, tears sliding down her face.
Laluram's family rescued him on June 21 after paying compensation of Rs 80,000.
Bhanwarlal and his friends took Shanta into a nearby forest. On June 22, Shanta's mother Varju Bai and her brothers Bhima, Maluram and Bhagwanlal, arrived in the village but were beaten and locked up.
Through all of this, none of the local government staff or officials called the police. The Kanod police heard about the incident and rescued Shanta's family on June 23, but were unable to trace Shanta, Bhanwarlal and the men. Shanta was finally released on June 24 after Kanhaiyalal Meena, the local headman, held talks and had her brought out from the forest where she had been held for two days. "We are not orthodox and grant ample freedom to women," says Kanhaiyalal. "But this incident is shameful. We will try to hold public meetings and counselling sessions to prevent such things," he says.
Former deputy pradhan (headman) Fateh Singh Jhala says nata disputes are common. "Usually, they are settled amicably . This is the first time such an incident has taken place," he says.
Police arrested 24 people and sent them to judicial custody. Since she was rescued, Shanta has been living with her mother. She's hoping she will get some help and compensation from the government, and maybe some training that will help her land a job. Her brothers are daily wage labourers and cultivate a small patch of land they own. Shanta wants to contribute to the family income.When asked if she would go back and live with Laluram, Shanta says no. "My first husband disgraced me and the second watched my humiliation silently . How can I trust him now?" she says.
End of Article
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA