Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned

Accused of infidelity, woman kills two panchayat members in UP

The woman, who was assisted in perpetrating the crime by her father, opened indiscriminate fire at the members of the panchayat, who had held her guilty at a panchayat on Sunday, killing two of them on the spot, according to police sources.
The three seriously wounded panchayat members have been admitted to hospital at Bijnore, sources said. According to the police, a panchayat had been convened after a member of the women’s family alleged that she had tried to establish “extra-marital affair” with with her husband’s brother.

The hapless woman pleaded innocence and even accused her brother-in-law of trying to “rape” her in the absence of her husband. But the panchayat members turned a deaf ear to her pleadings.

The members of the panchayat, while accepting the charge levelled against her, publicly scolded the woman and her husband and also ostracised them from society asking other villagers not to keep any relation with them.

The panchayat also said whosoever tries to give shelter to the duo would have to pay a fine of Rs 500 and they would also be boycotted by the villagers. The matter had even reached the police following which they   had cautioned the concerned parties against taking law into their hands. A police team had also visited the village on Sunday afternoon apprehending trouble.

Although the duo had left the village after the panchayat’s verdict, they returned on Monday armed with a gun and the woman sprayed the members of the panchayat with bullets, police inspector J S Tomar said. The accused are absconding.

The panchayats are known to pronounce bizarre orders. These caste panchayats are very strong in UP, especially in the western parts. In the past, the panchayats have pronounced judgments like shoe lashes for those accused of rape and even sending them on pilgrimages.