Four men were arrested on Tuesday (April 14, 2026) in Madhya Pradesh’s Jhabua district for allegedly cutting a 28-year-old woman’s hair and forcing her to carry her husband on her shoulders around a village, the police said.
According to the police, a video went viral on Monday (April 13, 2026), showing the alleged incident from Balawas village under the Kakanvani police station range, after which officers tried to locate the victim and the accused.
Jhabua Superintendent of Police (SP) Shiv Dayal Singh told The Hindu that a First Information Report (FIR) under charges for assault, outraging a woman’s modesty, and causing hurt has been lodged against 10 people, while four men, including the woman’s husband have been arrested.
“We are also analysing the footage and questioning the locals to identify if more people were involved,” Mr. Singh said. According to the preliminary investigation, the incident appeared to be stemming from a custom in the local tribal population, he added.
“As per the statements recorded, the woman had gone with another man about 15 days ago without informing her husband. The matter went to the community leaders, who decided that the woman had to go back to her husband, and the acts were part of the punishment,” the SP said, adding that the video came to the notice of the police on Tuesday (April 14, 2026) morning, after which action was taken immediately.
