A local court in Belagavi, Karnataka, has convicted 12 individuals in connection with the case of a Dalit woman who was subjected to a nude parade in Vantamuri village. The incident, which occurred on December 10, 2023, involved the 42-year-old woman being forcibly stripped and paraded after her son eloped with a girl from the village. Following the parade, she was tied to an electric pole and assaulted.
The violence against the woman was reportedly carried out by the family members of the girl with whom her son had eloped. The Karnataka High Court criticized the state government for the Police Department’s failure to prevent the incident, emphasizing the need for better law enforcement measures. The 10th Additional District and Sessions Court Judge, H. S. Manjunath, sentenced the 12 accused individuals to five years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed fines under 12 sections of the law.
The convicted individuals, identified as Basappa Nayaka, Raju Nayaka, Kempanna Nayaka, Parvathi Nayaka, Yallavva Nayaka, Lakkappa Nayaka, Gangavva, Sangeetha Hegganayaka, Santhosh Nayaka, Shobha Nayaka, Lakkavva Nayaka, and Shivappa Vannur, were emotional upon hearing the verdict. The incident, which took place during the Winter Session of the Karnataka Assembly, caused significant embarrassment to the ruling Congress-led government.
The Karnataka High Court, through a Division Bench, expressed strong condemnation of the incident, highlighting the fear it instilled in women and the lack of intervention from bystanders. The court drew parallels with the Mahabharata, noting the absence of assistance akin to Lord Krishna’s intervention for Draupadi. The police personnel and locals who intervened to prevent the atrocity were later commended by the Karnataka Police and the state government awarded two acres of land to the victim for her ordeal.
