Kondagaon (Chhattisgarh): A 65-year-old woman and two other villagers were thrashed by people at Chinchdongri village in the Kondagaon area of Chhattisgarh on Monday. Prima facie the statement provided by a victim in a video suggested that she was subjected to torture for embracing another religion.
Talking to ETV Bharat, the victim Mangli Bai Netam said, "I was asked to vacate the village and settle somewhere else. I was also thrashed by villagers for not paying the donation. But whenever I came to pay the donation, it was not accepted stating that I was an outcaste."
After being informed about the scuffle at Chinchdongri village, police rushed to the spot to inquire about the matter. SHO of Kondgaon police station, Bhimsen Yadav, said, "A woman victim Mangli Bai was found injured at the spot. Her nephew Lokesh Netam was involved in assaulting the woman. Lokesh had thrashed the woman alleging that the woman had stockpiled forest wood illegally."
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"After visiting the spot, we found the medical condition of the woman not well. So we arranged an ambulance to send her to a hospital. While the victim's nephew was brought to the police station, he was booked under relevant sections of the IPC," the SHO said.
When asked whether it was a case of religious conversion, the SHO said, "We are probing the case from all angles. Right now it was not clear why her nephew and others were assaulting the woman. The accused has been arrested."
On the other hand, a police officer who had gone to the village to inquire about the matter was heckled by a large number of women protesters. Sensing danger, the police officer fled from the spot and took refuge at the police station. The women protesters while chasing the officer came near the entrance gate of the police station. Later, they were pacified by the policemen and sent back home.
