Madhya Pradesh couple thrashed, forced to drink urine for marrying against family's wishes

Alirajpur: Opposed to her love marriage, family members of a tribal woman allegedly assaulted her and her husband and forced them to drink urine, the district police today said. The incident took place at Hardaspur village, 25 kilometres from the Alirajpur district headquarters, on 25 July. Ambua Police Station in-charge Vikas Kapis said the 19-year-old woman married a 21-year-old man from the same village against her parents’ wishes in May this year. Later, the ‘jaat panchayat’ (community body) intervened and ordered that the man’s family should pay Rs 70,000 to the woman’s family as compensation and resolve the issue, Kapis said. The couple then left for Gujarat in search of job. When they returned last week, the couple stayed at the house of the husband’s uncle. The woman’s family members went to the house at 4 am on 25 July, and forced the couple to go with them at gun-point, the police officer said. They allegedly tied the husband to a pole and beat him up. The woman was half-stripped, her hair was cut and she too was beaten, Kapis said. Further, the accused allegedly forced the couple to drink urine, the police officer said. While letting them go, the accused allegedly told the woman that this was a revenge for “hurting the family’s pride”. The couple approached police and filed a complaint against the woman’s father, her two uncles and three others. “Two of the accused were arrested yesterday. Search for the other accused is on,” said District Superintendent of Police Vipul Shrivastava.