Andhra girl thrashed by village head for eloping on parents’ ‘request’

Hyderabad: A 17-year-old Dalit girl was abused and thrashed mercilessly by a village elder, Boya Lingappa for allegedly falling in love with her 20-year-old cousin, reported Hindustan Times.

The incident happened at K P Doddi village of Gummagatta block early this week, but came to light only on Friday, when a video of the “village panchayat” in which Lingappa was seen slapping the girl repeatedly, beating her with a stick and kicking her went viral on social media.

Anantpur district police chief B Yesubabu said that no one was coming forward to lodge a complaint against Lingappa, not even the parents. "They said the elder intervened on their behalf and so they are not willing to complain,” police chief told NDTV.

According to the police, the girl’s parents had approached Lingappa to resolve the issue, when the girl was adamant on marrying her cousin. He called all the villagers to a village panchayat and summoned both the girl and the young man along with their parents.

After listening to the versions of the parents, Lingappa and other elders advised the couple to forget their love, as they were cousins. But the girl revolted and insisted that she be married to him.

Enraged at her stubborn answer, Lingappa suddenly got up and slapped her using abusive language. He thrashed her several times and kicked her. He also beat her cousin with a stick.

The police have sent a woman constable to check if the girl would file a complaint. If she mentions that she had a physical relationship with the boy, he could be booked under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences or POCSO Act. If no formal complaint is lodged, the police would file a case under Prevention of SC/ST atrocities Act, police said.