Tribal Woman Gang-Raped in Madhya Pradesh Denied Justice by Panchayat Before Police Intervention

The men have been arrested and the minor detained.

A tribal woman in Madhya Pradesh's Khandwa, who was gang-raped by six men, sought justice from her community panchayat. Disappointingly, several members attempted to suppress the incident and described her attackers as 'sanskari' (people with good values).

Justice was only pursued when the woman approached local police, resulting in prompt action and the arrest of all six accused, including a minor.

The assault occurred around 1 am on November 29. The 27-year-old victim and her husband were working as irrigation laborers on a village farm. While resting in a shed, five young men and a boy arrived. When the woman asked her husband to light a bonfire, causing him to step away briefly, the assailants allegedly overpowered and gang-raped her.

According to the survivor, the perpetrators threatened to kill her husband if they reported the incident. Frightened, she remained silent for several days. Eventually, when the trauma became overwhelming, she approached the community panchayat, only to face dismissal and humiliation.

The survivor reported that many panchayat members were relatives of the accused and dismissed her allegations. "They kept saying their boys are 'sanskari'," she recounted.

She added, "Some women also insisted they could never commit such a crime. No one spoke for me."

Feeling abandoned by her community, she gathered the courage to report the crime to police on December 8.

Khandwa Superintendent of Police Manoj Rai confirmed that all the men have been taken into custody.

"One of the accused is a minor. He has been sent to a juvenile home. The remaining accused will be produced in court and sent to jail," Rai stated.