A woman was forced to lick spit in front of a panchayat in Bihar’s Begusarai as punishment after she filed a rape complaint. A video of the incident has gone viral, triggering outrage and prompting police to launch a probe into her allegation and the public humiliation.
The incident took place in June, but it came to light only after the footage went viral on social media.
According to an FIR lodged on August 1, a neighbour forcibly entered the woman’s house on the night of June 2 and raped her after threatening her.
She alleged that when the accused tried to flee through a window, villagers caught him, convened a panchayat and subjected both of them to public humiliation instead of informing the police.
The video begins with the woman standing with her ears held as villagers surround her. She is then seen bending down and licking spit from the ground.
The footage later cuts to a man, believed to be the rape accused, who is also made to hold his ears, apologise and lick spit before the gathering.
The complaint was filed a day after the video first went viral on social media on July 31.
Locals in the village, however, have presented a different version of events, claiming the woman and the accused were in a relationship and were caught in an objectionable situation.
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