Nine people have been arrested in Gujarat’s Surendranagar district after a woman accused them of gang rape and assault during a purported “shuddhikaran” or purification ritual, police said.
According to police, the woman had left her husband and gone with another man. Her family and members of the community later allegedly caught the two and took them to a location where the ritual was conducted.
Police said the woman was allegedly stripped, tied up and assaulted during the incident. The man who was with her was also allegedly forced to perform a sexual act on the woman.
The alleged assault was reportedly recorded on video and later uploaded to Instagram, according to the police.
Surendranagar Superintendent of Police Premsukh Delu confirmed the arrests and said an investigation was underway into the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The accused have been booked under Section 70(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which deals with gang rape, along with Section 115(2), relating to voluntarily causing grievous hurt. Relevant provisions of the Information Technology Act have also been invoked over the alleged recording and sharing of the incident.
Police are investigating who recorded and uploaded the video and whether it was circulated further on social media.
The case has raised concerns over the alleged use of a purported community or religious ritual as a pretext for violence and sexual assault. Police are continuing to question the arrested individuals and gather evidence related to the incident.
Authorities are also examining the digital evidence connected to the video as part of the investigation.
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