BJP forms five-member fact-finding panel on Belagavi incident

Jagat Prakash Nadda also launched a scathing attack on the Congress government in Karnataka, calling the Belagavi incident of a tribal woman being paraded naked "heinous" and a symptom of the party's "irresponsible behaviour" towards women's safety.

"BJP National President Shri Jagat Prakash Nadda has strongly condemned the heinous incident of parading naked of a tribal woman in Belgavi, Karnataka. Such heinous crimes especially against women have been happening at regular intervals ever since the congress government came to power in Karnataka. This also exposes the irresponsible behaviour of congress governments everywhere in the country in tackling such crimes," read the release from BJP.

Nadda's strong condemnation came after a 42-year-old woman in Karnataka was stripped naked, assaulted, and paraded as her son eloped with another woman.

To further investigate the matter and gather firsthand information, Nadda has constituted a five-member fact-finding committee.

The committee, comprising prominent BJP MPs--Aprajita Sarangi, Sunita Duggal, Locket Chatterjee, Ranjeeta Koli, and Asha Lakra, will visit the incident site and promptly submit a report to the party chief as earliest as possible.

Karnataka BJP Members of Parliament also held a protest in front of the Gandhi statue in Parliament against the Karnataka government.

"The woman was paraded naked and she was tied to an electric pole and brutally beaten...The govt is running the Vidhan Sabha session near her village...It happened in the constituency of the Women and Child Welfare Minister...Why is CM Siddaramaiah and the state home minister silent?... Nobody is taking action..." said Union MoS Shobha Karandlaje.

BJP MP from Bengaluru Tejasvi Surya also accused the Congress government of having failed on all fronts.

"Congress Govt in Karnataka is failing every passing day in its responsibility to provide safety and security to citizens, especially women. Belagavi incident where a mother was tied to a pole, assaulted and paraded naked, Udupi incident where a woman and her 3 children were brutally murdered, in Bengaluru the murder of woman officer in geology department and many such incidents have proven that the Congress is continuing to ignore the safety of woman in Karnataka. High Court's sou-moto cognizance on the Belagavi incident should wake up the Govt currently in deep slumber and ignorant about the plight of woman in the state" the BJP MP said in his post on X.

Meanwhile, the National Commission for Women (NCW) has expressed deep concern over the 42-year-old woman in Karnataka who was stripped naked, assaulted, and paraded after her son eloped with another woman and demanded swift legal action against all perpetrators.

As per reports, seven accused have already been arrested.

The Commission has taken suo moto cognizance of the matter and sent an inquiry committee to Karnataka on Friday.

Upon preliminary scrutiny, the NCW has identified that the reported incident aligns with the following sections of the Indian Penal Code, 1860-- Section 354: Assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty, Section 323: Punishment for voluntarily causing hurt and Section 509: Word, gesture, or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman.

The NCW vehemently condemns this abhorrent assault and unequivocally opposes such heinous actions perpetrated against women. Given the gravity of the situation, immediate directives have been issued to the relevant Police authorities to include the aforementioned provisions of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 in the First Information Report (F.I.R.), along with other pertinent legal aspects. The Commission has urged for the swift arrest of all involved parties.

Additionally, the Chairperson of NCW, Rekha Sharma, has expressed her deep anguish regarding this incident, condemning it as an act of extreme inhumanity. Sharma has directed a team led by member Delina Khongdup from the Commission to inquire about action taken in the case on-site and submit their findings promptly. The inquiry committee will be leaving for Karnataka today.

Furthermore, the Commission has requested the Director-General of Police (DGP) to furnish an action taken report by the 17th of December.

The Karnataka High Court has also strongly criticized the state police over its failure to prevent an incident where a woman was beaten, paraded naked, and tied to an electric pole in Belagavi.

Earlier on December 12, Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara said that action has been taken and seven people have been arrested so far in connection with the incident in Karnataka's Belagavi district where a woman was stripped naked, paraded and assaulted after her son eloped with a girl of the same village. (ANI)