According to police, the physically handicapped dalit victim, a resident of Sarai Sultan in Allahabad district, was allegedly attacked by her neighbour in a field near the village on Tuesday.
Being dumb, the hapless woman could not raise an alarm for help and she was molested by the accused while her husband, who is suffering from speech and hearing disabilities, was working in a nearby field.
Even after the culprit reportedly confessed to have committed the crime, the panchayat opted not to take any strict action against him. Panchayat head Lal Mani Pasi claimed that the decision was taken after consulting the elders of the village.
Feeling humiliated by the diktat, the couple approached the police, who registered a case on Friday. However, the victim has not been sent for medical examination. The police conducted raids in the village on Friday night to nab the accused and the panchayat members, who are still at large. This is not the first instance of khap panchayats pronouncing such bizarre orders.
Recently, the caste panchayat in Puranpur village freed a rape accused after paying cash to the victim. While a panchayat in Muzaffarnagar had recently ordered revocation of marriage of a couple and asked them to live like brother and sister after it was found that both of them were from the same “gotra.”