The Arunachal Pradesh State Commission for Women (APSCW) has slammed the reported assault on a woman in the State’s Changlang district for allegedly eloping with a married man to escape an abusive marriage.
APSCW chairperson Radhilu Chai Techi said on October 12 that the district authorities and the police had been asked to conduct a free and fair investigation and book the culprits involved in the incident.
The commission had acted on the basis of a written complaint from the local Women Welfare Association of Narcotic Cell.
“The district police said 15 people have been arrested so far and efforts were on to arrest the others as soon as possible,” Ms. Techi said.
She added that the victim would be filing a separate case of domestic violence under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005, against her husband and his family in consultation with the APSCW.
According to reports, villagers had pulled the victim out of a vehicle on September 25, ripped her clothes apart, shoved and abused her. She ran away to escape the humiliation but a video on her assault was later uploaded on social media platforms.
The victim was quoted as saying that she had eloped with a married man in the hope of a better life after staying in an abusive marriage for five years.
The police at Diyun in Changlang district said a first information report was filed against 38 people in connection with the assault. Of the 15 arrested so far, nine are women.
