AMRITSAR, June 16 — In its three-page fact-finding report, the Association For Democratic Rights (AFDR) has alleged that a poor Dalit woman was stripped by some influential persons of her own Gillwali village in full public view. The AFDR has indicted the police for framing a ‘weak case’ against the accused.

According to reports, a son of the victim allegedly had ‘illicit relations’ with a minor daughter of the accused. The accused recovered the girl from the house of the victim on the night of May 26. The accused forcibly entered the Dalit woman’s house, where they beat her up along with her husband, son and other members of the family. The Dalit woman was then stripped and paraded in public. The victim’s arm was fractured and she sustained internal injuries.

The AFDR alleged that though the accused were booked, they were charged with only bailable offences.

The fact-finding report was released to TNS by the five-member team, including Mr Partap Singh (a retired executive engineer), Dr Parminder Singh of Guru Nanak Dev University, Mr Yash Paul Jhabal, Mr Ajit Singh, Mr Bhupinder Singh and Mrs Jasbir Kaur, a senior advocate. Before filing the report, the team members interviewed Mr Gurdip Singh, Mr Didar Singh, Mr Ajit Singh, Mr Darshan Singh and a number of women of Gillwali village. They also got the version of the victim, her son and husband.

However, though the Deputy Superintendent of Police, Mr R.S. Ghuman, admitted that the victim was molested and beaten up, he denied that she was stripped in public. He said five of the accused in this case had already been arrested. Those arrested included Baldev Singh, Mukhtiar Singh, Kashmir Singh, Raju and Lakhbir Singh under Sections 323, 342, 452, 354, 506, 509, 148 and 149 of the IPC.

This correspondent also met the victim, her husband and son at the Civil Hospital, where she was admitted in a serious condition after the shameful incident. She alleged that she was meted out this ‘inhuman’ treatment by her own villagers. She said she wanted to commit ‘suicide’ as she could not go to her village after such a ‘shameful incident’.

On the other hand, on the complaint of the minor daughter of the accused, the police had registered a counter case against the son and daughter-in-law of the Dalit woman for alleged rape. However, no arrest has been made in this regard so far.

Though the son of the Dalit woman admitted that he had illicit relations with the daughter of the accused, he said stripping his mother in public was no way to teach him a lesson.