Chhattisgarh’s Pendara witnesses medieval brutality as a widow pays dearly for her heart’s choice. Lover’s kin beat her with footwear, coated her in cow dung, denuded her, and dragged her naked across Raniip village, fueling a powder keg of local strife.
The story centers on a 35-year-old widow whose husband died a year back. Her liaison with married 35-year-old Hari Prasad Rathore led them to elope last October 29, hiding out in Madhya Pradesh’s Malachhwa.
Returning Friday, they faced backlash. Police at Khodri facilitated dialogue; she affirmed her bond with Hari Prasad.
Dawn Saturday shattered peace. Around 10 AM, Saroj Rathore (wife), Manoj (brother), and Yashoda descended on her house with accomplices. The assault was ferocious—they dragged, whipped with chappals, shredded clothes, smeared excrement, and orchestrated a naked shame-walk for all to witness.
Village intervention saved her. Responders provided care and booked the perpetrators under stringent laws for battery, modesty violation, and rioting.
In the aftermath, this grotesque violation demands accountability. It lays bare rural India’s toxic blend of tradition and intolerance toward female agency. As probes unfold amid volatility, justice must prevail to heal wounds and deter copycats.