12 sentenced to five years in jail for assaulting, disrobing tribal woman in Karnataka's Belagavi district

The incident happened in December 2023 after the woman's son eloped with a girl whose engagement was fixed

Belagavi (Karnataka): A court here has convicted all 12 accused, including six women, for disrobing and assaulting a 42-year-old tribal woman and sentenced them to five years rigorous imprisonment.

The incident happened at Hosavantmuri village in Belagavi district in December 2023, after the woman's son eloped with a girl, the daughter of one of the convicts from the same village, whose engagement was fixed.

Both families belonged to same community, according to police sources.

The Additional 10th District and Sessions Court announced the verdict on Wednesday, they said.

The woman was allegedly paraded, tied to a pole, assaulted, and disrobed.

Based on her complaint, the police had subsequently registered a case under various sections of the IPC and the Prevention of Destruction and Loss of Property Act, 1981.

The government subsequently handed over the case to the Criminal Investigation Department, which conducted a probe and filed a charge sheet in April 2024.

In April 2024, the High Court of Karnataka directed the trial court to complete the trial within a year, while disposing of a suo motu public interest litigation it had taken up on the matter.