A man and a woman in Tripura were tied to an electric pole on Saturday and publicly humiliated for hours over an alleged relationship. The man is married and has two children, while the woman is a 20-year-old who lives with her cousin brother, and sister-in-law. Videos of the assault have gone viral on social media.
In the video, an elderly woman pulls the woman’s hair and hits her repeatedly, with the man tied to the same electric pole. A group of people can be seen watching the assault, but nobody appears to help. Another man animatedly wags his finger and verbally chastises the couple.
The incident is from Belonia town in the South Tripura district.
The married man was allegedly found to be engaged in a romantic relationship with a 20-year-old woman from the same area. Locals caught them together on Saturday morning and tied them to the pole for a “shalishi baithak”- an impromptu public trial through a Kangaroo court.
The police later arrived and intervened to release the victims.
None of the parties involved, including the injured man and woman, chose to file any formal complaints, though the police have registered a case and an investigation is underway.
The cousin brother of the young woman has been taken into custody, and her sister-in-law is accused of physical assault.
