In a shocking incident, a man in Telangana had to go through a trial by fire and was forced to carry a hot iron bar to prove his chastity after he was accused of having an extramarital affair with a married woman.
The man, Gangadhar, also had to pay Rs. 11 Lakh to the elders of the caste, with whom the husband of the other woman lodged a complaint.
The incident, which came to light on Tuesday, took place in Banjarapally village of Mulugu Mandal, Telangana. Now, Gandhadhar’s wife has lodged a police complaint against community elders, following which an investigation has started into the matter.
According to the police, a person from Banjarapally village approached his community elders a few months back alleging that Gangadhar was having an extramarital affair with his wife and demanded justice.
Though Gangadhar categorically denied the allegations, the community elders did not listen to him and took cash deposits of Rs 11 Lakh from each party to resolve the issue.
After the issue could not be resolved for three months, the elders ordered Gangadhar to prove his chastity by going through the superstitious practice of ‘Agni Pariksha’ or trial by fire, in which he had to hold a hot iron rod without getting burnt.
As per superstition, people believe if a person is chaste and is telling the truth, they won’t get burnt with the hot iron.
On February 25, Gangadhar performed the ritual in the presence of villagers.
Gangadher and his wife claimed that his hands were not burnt during the ritual, proving his innocence. However, they said that elders didn’t accept the outcome and forced him to confess that he has an extramarital affair with the complaint’s wife.
Vexed with the elders, Gangadhar’s wife has lodged a complaint with the Mulugu police saying that the elders have been harassing them and they already used the Rs 6 Lakh from their deposited amount.
“It was a tradition in our caste in our grandparents’ time. We will believe it. I carried a hot iron rod and was thrown out of the fire. My hands were not burnt. It means I am innocent and need not pay any amount. But they are demanding money.” Gangadhar told News18.
“It was a tradition in our caste in our grandparents’ time. We will believe it. I carried a hot iron rod and was thrown out of the fire. My hands were not burnt. It means I am innocent and need not pay any amount. But they are demanding money. We approached the police.” Said Gangadhar to News18.
However, the complainant Jagannatham claimed otherwise. According to him, Gangadhar’s hands were burnt during the ritual.
“Yes, Gangadhar is my cousin and he has an extramarital affair with my wife. As per the tradition of our caste, he asked to carry an iron rod. His hand was burnt but he is not accepting. We are asking him to pay a penalty as he accepted in writing about the affair. But now he is harassing us by giving complaints at the Police station.” Jagannatham said.
Read all the Latest India News here
Comments
0 comment