16 held for cutting off girl's hair

The police have registered a case against 16 people for being part of a tribal panchayat which punished a girl recently by cutting off her hair in public for allegedly eloping.

The tribal panchayat at Chikhlar village, situated about five km away from Betul district headquarters, punished the girl’s uncle for allegedly eloping with her, by making him run around with a garland of shoes and a grinding stone tied to his chest.

Though the girl, about 18 years old, pleaded that her uncle had kidnapped her from the village market, the panchayat allegedly did not listen to her pleas and insulted her.

The villagers vociferously had protested against the police action on Friday before the Superintendent of Police (SP) office here, demanding that the report be withdrawn. They also justified the action of their panchayat as it was their “tradition”.

Terming the panchayat’s decision illegal, the police said that a case has been registered and a further probe is on.

So far, 13 people have been arrested and released by the police on a personal bond and a search is on to trace the remaining three culprits.