Karnataka: In a disturbing incident in Belagavi district, Karnataka, a woman and a young girl were assaulted by their neighbors who accused them of prostitution. This occurred in Vaddarawadi, under the jurisdiction of the Malamaruti police station.
The woman, who had lived in the area for four years, faced allegations from a neighboring family that her household was involved in sex work. The attackers forcibly entered her home, dragged both the woman and the girl outside, and physically assaulted them. During the attack, they tore the woman’s clothes in public while capturing the incident on their mobile phones.
Despite the woman’s attempt to file a complaint with the local police, she was denied assistance for two days. Eventually, she escalated the matter to the Police Commissioner of Belagavi, requesting protection due to threats to her life. Following the Commissioner’s intervention, police lodged a complaint against three individuals involved in the assault.
An FIR was filed under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Act. The police have initiated an investigation and are preparing to interrogate the suspects.
This incident echoes a previous case from December 2023, where a 42-year-old woman was similarly assaulted and paraded naked by a rival family, a reaction to her son eloping with a village girl. This earlier case had caused widespread outrage and embarrassment for the Karnataka government, especially since it occurred near the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha during an Assembly session.